Log Horizon Book 5 chapter 1

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Chapter 1: Everyday life of Shiroe


1

God created the world in six days and on the seventh day he rested. This means that even a god needs a vacation. Since God has set this precedent, Shiroe thinks that humans should follow as well.

Take a break after work.

Otherwise, humans will have problems.

This is common sense in society.

This is an alternate world, they are <Adventurers> or the <Apocalypse>. There is no need to break common sense just because of these reasons.

Shiroe complains because he has been too busy lately.

It is not that his guild mates in <Log Horizon> are bullying him; Nyanta, Naotsugu and Akatsuki, even the new members Minori, Tohya, Isuzu and Rundelhaus all want to help Shiroe. But, the amount of work from the <Round Table Council> is just too much.

(No, that’s not right. This way of thinking is despicable from a certain point of view.)

These tasks are not the result of insidious harassment or abuse of authority.

Probably.

Speaking bluntly, the reason lies with Shiroe himself.

Shiroe is seen by the round table council, and even his own guild, as a 'Battle tactician with incredible foresight', and he admits that is a proper description. But even if Shiroe is aware of this, he does not have genius level intellect nor extraordinary talent. Shiroe gauges that he is only normal in terms of ability.

Shiroe sees himself as a typical preparation type. He thinks his talent lies in collating intelligence before events, analyzing and making observations; then writing a proper script by taking into account any changes during execution.

These types are not rare. Roughly all players who check game walk-through before starting belongs to this type. This is just a timid way of doing things. But Shiroe has a unique characteristic, he is not content with just reading game walk-throughs. He will try to write his own walk-through. This should be driven more by curiosity than timidness.

Because he is not confident, he will put in effort to prepare. If someone requests something from him, he will make further preparations. Shiroe is the type who gets chosen for an important position unwittingly, even though he doesn't like helping others.

Timidity is often seen as a weakness, but that is not so for the character of Shiroe. When he assumes his duties, he is like a battle tactician. Being cautious to the extreme is not a weakness, but an advantage.

But that is only when they have enough manpower to spare. Right now, Shiroe who is struggling alone is unable to breathe with the pressure of the workload.

This alternate world is an oversized research subject for Shiroe.

It is better to have more information, and the range of information he wants to gather is very wide. Just the walk-through information the world of Elder Tales has accumulated over twenty years is enormous, ten times more so after changing into this alternate world. This is not a stationary world, but instead a world that evolves every second as things interact with each other.

Shiroe tries to prioritize and investigate the necessary data. He lacks the manpower and financial support, but he can garner public information through the round table council. He also has a set budget; his efficiency in gathering intelligence is much better compared to when the apocalypse had just happened.

Even so, the data he wants or needs is too colossal; he is unable to shake off his feeling of unease.

Shiroe did not start collating the data of this world purely out of his own curiosity. Whether to go back to the original world or to give up, he will still need to live in this world first. This is the consensus for all the adventurers in Akiba.

Situations where information is the lifeline are common. <TL: derpy sentence>

Just like when you need a map to navigate the oceans, the round table council needs information about this world. If you are not clear on what is happening, you won't be able to make the correct decisions.

Hence, Shiroe considers gathering and analyzing data to be official business.

As one of the eleven guild masters of the round table council, he needs to spend a lot of time just doing daily communication and tasks. Reviewing documents also takes a lot of time. If it is the major guilds like D.D.D or Oceanic systems, there should be a lot of talented personnel to assist and support the guild master.

In a sense, this is the same of having a team of secretaries supporting Michitaka and Crusty in their administrative duties. Even if it is not to the level of a secretary, having reliable companions who help you review and give feedback is invaluable.

But Log Horizon only has eight members including the two new members, so Shiroe does not expect to have anyone around all the time to assist in his administrative duties. The most proficient person at administrative matters will be Shiroe, followed by Minori. But Minori is still in her training phase, if she helps Shiroe, her level gap with Tohya, Isuzu and Rundelhaus will get wider, so he can’t ask for her help too often.

So the end result is Shiroe being crushed by mountains of administrative and documents.

"Woo wah! There is no way I can finish this!"

Shiroe sighs at the mountain of papers. This is just his nature to bear responsibility for everything, but that doesn't mean he won't be discouraged. Staying indoors all this time has made him feel depressed.

Shiroe looks out the window.

This window was just a square opening a few days ago, but window frames and canvas curtains has been installed now.

The time is noon and it is currently raining outside.

The autumn rain falls in Akiba. The rain as thin as silver thread falls on every leaf of the old trees of Akiba as well as directly wetting the ground, making a peaceful sound.

This is a serene, gentle and beautiful scene.

When Elder Tales was just a game, the weather in different zones would change randomly according to the game mechanics. It is already very pretty compared to normal games, but compared to the shiny silver threads falling in Akiba, it is only the beauty limited to games.

Shiroe feels the scene in this world is better than old Japan in all areas.

Although they are all rain, they have their own style, such as the afternoon lightning rain in the summer or the autumn rain that are like a mist.

Living in Japan with a developed transport infrastructure where all the delivery couriers can show off their speed, Shiroe can only see the seasonal scenery from the news of NHK. So to him, just the weather alone is like an epic drama series that has finished  airing.

He opens the canvas curtain and sees that the air of the city seems to be covered with white lines that go unbroken all the way from the ground to the sky. It is October, not too cold yet but the chill is slowly start setting in. He can see people all over the city ignoring the rain as well as adventurers who are using this chance to clean their buildings.

It has been two months since the war of Sand Leaf, but the mopping up campaign is progressing slowly.

No, the clean up stage has already passed, they should now consider how to renew their relationship with the organization made up of the people of the land... the 'League of Freedom Cities Eastal'. This has been confirmed in the reports Shiroe received. According to intelligence reports, minor skirmishes had decreased while issues related to resource transportation and trade is gradually increasing. At this stage, it should fall under the jurisdiction of the merchant guilds.

The grand preparations for the Libra festival is the evidence.

Shiroe finally feel a burden off his shoulders when he think about this.


...But that is only one burden.

What worries Shiroe now is the news from other regions. He did not have energy to spare just dealing with Akiba, so he has been ignoring them deliberately for a while. However, they are reaching a stage where he can't ignore them anymore. The data from his sources are collated and countermeasures are executed, but when further information are gathered he realized there have been major changes. No, it should be that the changes are too intense.

(I thought this might happen, but it just had to turn out this way, the other areas are really...)

Shiroe relaxed and leaned against his wicker chair and gazed at the ceiling.

Maps, figures and reports flash through his mind.

The Japan that has been recreated at a half it's scale using the half gaia project... This place known as the crescent archipelago Yamato, there are five player cities. Akiba that Shiroe and the others resides in, Shibuya, Minami, Susukino and Nakasu are known as the five major cities, the base cities for players in Elder Tales.

When Elder Tales was still an MMO game, these cities are connected by a device called the inter-city transport gate that allow instantaneous travel between the cities, so it doesn't have a feel of distance. But the device is not working, so the time needed to travel between cities has increased. In this world where monsters roam free, there are risks in traveling, cutting down interactions between cities.

It has been five months since the Apocalypse.

Akiba where Shiro and the others reside in has undergone major changes. It looks the same from the outside, but their way of life and their relationships with others have undergone a decisive change. With their interactions with the people of the land as well as the 'League of Freedom Cities Eastal', there should be no one left who thinks that this is just a game.

Everybody in this world has had the equal chance of experiencing these five months of time.

So Shiroe thinks the other places will change just like Akiba did.

But the change in Akiba was influenced by Shiroe. Shiroe is aware of putting in effort to change this city. If that is the case, the other city could also have been influenced by the will of 'someone' as well correct? Shiroe feels his heart getting heavy as he thinks about this will.


Shibuya changed the least.

Shibuya holds a special place among the five player cities.

Simply speaking, Shibuya is the newest city to be set up, it is used to disperse the massive amount of players in Akiba. Shibuya which was set up with this purpose in mind is dependent on the inter-city transport gate. When the gate stops functioning, the city is almost in a state of paralysis.

Hence, almost all adventurers based in Shibuya has moved to Akiba. Shibuya is used by very few players, akin to the villa of Akiba in the neighboring rural areas.

Susukino is evolving just as Shiroe expected. The city security has been deteriorating since the Apocalypse until to the point of no return. It has become a lawless city because of this. The adventurers who wanted to leave have mostly succeeded in these past few months.

Serara was a beginner adventurer, but she still managed to hide her tracks and escaped successfully. This is thanks to Shiroe's rescue operation. Shortly after, the round table council sent out several expedition teams over a period of time to evacuate all those who wish to leave from Susukino.

Susukino which seems set to fail as a player city still has more than 200 adventurers left. They are not left behind by the expedition teams, but chose to stay in the dangerous environment of Susukino by their own will. Not only this, Akiba and Minami also have a few adventurers who willingly migrated to Susukino.

In the Elder Tales world that has changed into reality, there seems to be some demand for 'lawlessness'. Susukino has evolved into a city where the minority adventurers rule over the majority of the people of the land...

Shiroe did not sense any evil from this. No, to not feel any evil at all is totally false, but it is not obvious. Shiroe even senses fear.

Shiroe champions the rights of the people of the land in the round table council because of two reasons.

The first is as a means of survival. The number of people of the land is ten times that of adventurers. Almost all consumable ingredients, the resource of this world, are made by the people of the land. If they govern the people of the land with an iron fist, this will eventually cause friction and conflict with them. No matter who wins or loses, they will need to bear a heavy price. Protecting the rights of the people of the land is a way of protecting the rights of themselves. It is not based on the ideals of human rights, but is built on the idea of benefits versus losses.

The second reason is fear.

Shiroe still remembered clearly the people of the land village he visited on his way back from Susukino. Shiroe feels for the first time that people of the land are human in that village. He can feel their warmth, history, personally and intentions, and sees them as 'human' for the first time.

To enslave an intelligent human is terrifying for Shiroe who received a standard Japanese education. This is too much of a taboo, skipping over reasons of justice, evil and morality, linking directly to the emotion of fear. Becoming a slave himself is also a fear, but owning slaves and ordering them around is a physiologically repulsive thought.

The chill Shiroe feels from Susukino has the same source.

But there are only a couple hundred of adventurers in Susukino, such small scale activities can still be salvaged.

(But the problem lies over there instead...)

Minami's situation is...

Far beyond Shiroe's expectations and developing at an incredible speed.


2

"Mr...Shi...roe!"

Shiroe who is lost in thought hears a moving voice that seems reproachful with a hint of gratitude.

"Please pull yourself together. Are you eating your meals right? What about sleep? Eh, seems like you spent the whole day sitting again."

"I am eating right and sleeping well, I went to the dining room just two hours ago."

Shiroe replies casually as he stands up to take the box of files from Henrietta.

The strong physical abilities of adventurers are based on the game stats, so there are not much strength difference between the two genders. No, compared to Shiroe from the mage class, Henrietta from the weapon-based class is probably twice as strong.

But seeing Henrietta wearing a secretary style mini skirt and jacket with corsage, Shiroe is unable to bear seeing her carry so many stacks of boxes.

Shiroe turns around after leaving the box on his desk.

"There is no need to trouble you with this, I will come over if you contact me by telepathy."

"Eh... I guess you are right... But I heard Mr Shiroe has been working so hard, so I thought about dropping by to visit... about that..."

"If you are looking for Akatsuki, she should be coming back soon."

"Ah, Fu fu fu fu, it's not what you think."

Shiroe breathes a sigh of relief as Henrietta blushes.

The famed accountant that is the pride of Crescent Moon Alliance, Henrietta who is in charge of finance visits Shiroe like this often. The guild master of Crescent Moon Alliance is Marielle, but the operations are all handled by Henrietta, of whom’s administrative abilities are beyond praise. Instead of Shiroe who wastes his time on research and curiosity, Henrietta's contribution to the Round Table Council is much more significant.

"Eh, this is..."

"The Libra festival."

Shiroe picked up a file as Henrietta explains from the side.

October. The air is becomes more chilly every time it rains, but the liveliness of Akiba remains warm. With the normalization of the relations with 'League of Freedom Cities Eastal', there has been more commercial exchanges stimulating the prosperity of the production guilds.

Food, clothes, machines, medicine, organic materials and types of items are imported and exported at an astonishing speed. Akiba is now a city that focuses on re-exporting after processing materials. Adventurers can still gather basic items like food ingredients and minerals, but it is easier to get them in bulk by purchasing them from the people of the land.

People of the land, especially nobles and merchants, have a strong demand for goods made by adventurers. They are very interested in finding out the secrets of their production and are very active in all kinds of trades.

As the production guilds become more lively, the battle guilds also reaps its share of the benefits. The 'fairy ring analysis project' that started last month resulted in tons of quests being given out, increasing the number of players going out of town for missions.

In this situation, the unexpected project that started was the Libra festival. This event that the adventurers of Akiba is looking forward to is a festival celebrated by the entire city.

When Elder Tales was still a game, apart from events set by the developers, there were also plenty of unofficial activities organized by the players themselves.

There are all kinds of activities ranging from involving an entire city to mega events that span the entire server. Unfortunately, there has been no news of such activities after the Apocalypse, as no one has the energy to spare. But as life is stabilizing after five months, everyone should be anticipating this lively activity to let go of their feelings of unease for a while. Shiroe understands this point.

But instead of preparing for this event, he is swamped with all sorts of administrative work, so he doesn't know the details. He only glimpsed through the memo that was sent to all the guild masters and got a very rough idea.

This is a trading activity that will be held in Akiba a few days later,  is what he thinks.

"How is the liaison committee?"

"Charasin is working hard, I really take my hat off to him, the preparations are going smoothly."

Henrietta who is arranging the files with her back to Shiroe replies.

"As expected of the advertisement agency."

The Libra festival project is directed by the production guild and the 'production guild liaison committee'.

With the formation of the round table council, there are a slew of new inventions bringing a boom in the economy of Akiba. The round table discusses issues regarding these new inventions, but they have finally reached their limits. The round table council is the governing organization that decides the general direction Akiba should take, however it can't keep handling trade disputes or complaints.

Practical problems related to items and delivery doesn't need to be handled strictly by the eleven guild masters, so they decided to set up a dedicated department.

That is the 'production guild liaison committee'.

'Production guild liaison committee' is situated two levels below the round table council's conference room in the guild building and operates 24/7. It is manned by adventurers who have nothing better to do and is a laid back and kind committee. The liaison committee has the atmosphere of a conference room and an office, and anyone can visit at any time.

With their policy of revitalizing the small guilds, this place became the hangout for guilds with small guild halls. Michitaka from Oceanic Systems and Rodrick from the Rodrick Firm treat this place as the training ground for future leaders.

A big notice board is full of all sorts of requests, such as buying resources, trading items or information exchange. They can also be a source for new items and business partners, a noisy and lively urban community center. It is just a liaison committee and lacks the seriousness of the round table council.


'Production guild liaison committee' is the organizer for the Libra festival.

Crescent Moon Alliance is one of the small guilds that is part of the Round Table Alliance and should have plenty to work to do. Henrietta has more work at the 'production guild liaison committee' than she had at the Round Table Council recently.

"Will Crescent Moon Alliance be participating?"

"Of course we are. Our blacksmith will be selling short swords at the flea market, McCrescent will also be making a comeback. Serara also worked hard on this, the new kids didn't have a chance to eat it too. But the main event will be the fashion show."

"Fashion show?"

"Yes, you didn't know Mr Shiroe?"

"No, I did hear about it..."

The idea of the Libra festival started out by someone suggesting 'let's hold a merchandise exhibition event alright?' at the 'production guild liaison committee'.

The first thing the adventurers who came to this alternate world desired is normal food and drinks. With this settled, the next is the increase in demand for a better living environment and fashionable clothes.

In the past when this was still a game, your residence was just a place you used to log out. The furniture were just toys to decorate your personal space that had wonderful variety but lacked functionality.

It is the same with dressing. Among the corporations that took parts in Elder Tales’ development, F.O.E (Fujimi Online Entertainment) was a development agency reputable in designing (Suitable for Otaku culture of Japan), but they did not consider functionality when they came up with their designs. They didn't even include underwear as part of the items that can be crafted in the game by adventurers.

But such an inconvenience has been solved recently. The adventurers have been creative and had come up with more inventions every day.

But citizens of Akiba might miss the information about unpopular items. The only way to get information about new inventions is by chance, word of mouth or the periodic advertisement flyers.

The proposal to host a merchandise exhibition event started this way, and after many discussions, they will be holding a fashion show, an underwear exhibition, a food market and an exhibition warehouse for new inventions. There have been increasing demands to include more items for the exhibition.

Most guilds have at least one product they recommend strongly and want to exhibit it to a wider audience.

Since that is the case, let's hold a festival centered around exhibitions! That is what they decided two weeks ago.


These discussions were held in the 'production guild liaison committee', but half the citizens of Akiba belong to production guilds, so the news spread like wildfire all over the city.

The production guild members are all participants, so pure tourist belongs to the minority. To be precise, only visitors from outside the city will meet this criteria.

And so, the exhibitors are also the customers, akin to a school cultural festival.

Shiroe has been focusing on using the round table council as a way to gather information from the outside and has been neglecting the news from within the city. Neglecting is based on Shiroe's standard, his knowledge of what is happening in the city is much higher than that of a normal Akiba citizen. Simply put, the knowledge he has does not meet his tactician level of standards.

Shiroe knows the story of how the festival started out, and understands that the exhibition will energize the economy (They just want to have fun under the pretext of work).

The organizer of the festival is not the round table coucil, but the liaison committee working under it. Charasin of the 8th district shopping center is the reliable director of this activity.

This is the reason Shiroe decided not to be involved directly and leave them alone.


"Mr Shiroe."

"Hmm?"

Henrietta says as Shiroe arranged the files in neatly.

"How is Isuzu doing?"

"Ah ah, ermm.... I have been meaning to talk to her properly one of these days, but I have been busy and it slipped my mind."

"Mr Shiroe is a good friend of Crescent moon alliance, so please don't hold back. But Serara has been worried about how she is doing."

"Yeah, she is doing well and keeping up with her daily training. She got a tan in the summer, since the only good thing about this place is it is spacious."

The subject of the topic Isuzu is a young female bard who transferred from Crescent moon alliance to Log horizon. This young girl with freckles joined Log horizon together with Rundelhaus.

The sorcerer Rundelhaus and the bard Isuzu, they are the two newest additions to Log horizon since Tohya and Minori entered the guild. The transfer proceeded smoothly after the peaceful discussion between the two guild masters. Isuzu was also a beginner confined by the nasty guild Hamelin just like Minori. Her time in Crescent moon alliance was short and there were not many problems with the transfer.

Log horizon and Crescent moon alliance has always acted like sister guilds, often holding beginners training session or forming raid parties together. Even though Serara worries about Isuzu, they have still been meeting once every three days.

"Mr Shiroe didn't go out for the entire summer."

Henrietta says reproachfully. This is the truth, so Shiroe cannot say anything to defend himself. Henrietta is a core member of Crescent moon alliance, and has similar roles as adviser like Shiroe. She is also handling the accounts for Crescent moon alliance. She must be busy, but Minori and others say she will occasionally show her face during beginners training sessions and participate actively. Henrietta words are rather harsh for Shiroe's ears.

"Very well, please take a look at this."

Henrietta hands over something like a venue brochure. The copies of such printed materials can be duplicated using Shiroe's scribe subclass. The original must be handwritten, but it is easy to make copies.

Shiroe browses through it roughly; Akiba seems to have several exhibition areas set up all over the city.

The content is mostly fashion and dining, but there are also armor, weapons and furniture made from steel or wood. The festival eve events starts the day after tomorrow, while the actual festival will last for two days.

(The dinner party and the after festival party...)

Shiroe confirms the event dates and it overlaps with the return of the spy. The spy should be able to sneak in easily with the crowd during the festival, but it will take some effort to secure their reports.

(We can't make any reckless movements during the festival, guess we will have to wait...)

Even if he wants to gather more data, the intelligence they can acquire during the festival will not be reliable.


"Really, why are you making such a face... Since Mr Shiroe is reflecting his actions, you should say something right?"

"Ah?"

"For instance, use this festival as a chance to deepen your relationships with your friends in Log horizon"

Shiroe was stunned by her words for a moment, but she had a point and it was a good idea. He should be fine doing this once in a while.

"I will."

"Also..."

Henrietta shakes her slender finger. Her actions together with her thin frame spectacles gives her an alluring air of mischief akin to an elder sister.

"Log horizon is one of the representatives of the round table council, please do your part to make this event lively."

"Ah... I will handle this appropriately."

"And that's a promise okay?"

Henrietta informs with a smile.

"Both Akatsuki and Minori are very cute, I am looking forward to it. Heavens, really... Just imagining it can make you go on without food. As the saying goes, 'people can't go on with only bread, but they can endure most hardship with bread and imagination'. My god..."

Henrietta who is twisting her body with her hands on her cheeks looks horrifying. Shiroe cannot send his precious guild members to uncertain death, so he needs to find out the detail of this 'promise'.

"What can they do to help?"


"It's very simple, they just need to help with the sales of the winter clothes exhibition."

Being a salesgirl should have nothing to do with being very cute correct?

Shiroe saw through the blueprints of Henrietta's future plan and apologized to his guild member in his heart, thinking how he can make it up to them.



3

Raynesia was wearing comfortable casual clothes and sitting on the couch, enjoying her small lunchbox with pretty designs. This is a common take away lunch box in Akiba.

(It's so good...)

She is looking forward to this vacation..

Even as Raynesia immersed herself in this feeling of sweetness, her supple feminine body still trembled when she recollected her recent crushing workload. Raynesia sighed heavily and drooped her shoulders. Yes, she has been conned. Conned by Crusty.

She was baited by the sweet talks of “three meals provided with afternoon nap included'. She is remorseful of her rash actions.

It is obvious if you think about it.

The adventurers are the key to influencing the world. The nobles of the 'League of Freedom Cities Eastal' which her grandfather chairs knows this, and is attempting to recruit and use them in political and military terms. The reason Raynesia gave her speech in the nobles conference is because she cannot stand their attitude and behavior.

Back then, she worked very hard because she wanted to protect her homeland and not force the adventurers to accept their willful and rude demands at the same time.

In a sense, Raynesia's efforts had begun bearing fruit. With the kindness of the round table council and the sense of justice of the adventurers, her homeland Maihama and the 'League of Freedom Cities Eastal' was saved.

After the war in Sand Leaf ended, the situation reverted back to the way it was. No, with the adventurers showing their might to the aristocrats, the development that followed was much more concrete.

Adventurers didn't only show their military prowess, but also their advanced technology, economy and unity as well. With their display of force, no noble holds any ambition of conquering Akiba, and instead walked towards deepening their relationship with the adventurers in order to increase their gain through taxes.

Raynesia has seen so many examples this month and it has irritated her.


Raynesia takes on the role of ambassador in Akiba under her grandfather's orders... her position is something between confinement and martial arts training. She is also the first residential ambassador from the 'League of Freedom Cities Eastal' to coordinate relationships between the two groups.

She often received invitations from round table council to attend events like ceremonies, and also participated in balls as a noblewoman. Thanks to her perfect lady education these gatherings were nothing to her (Even though they are troublesome), but the problem lies elsewhere.

For example, clans who focus on business, (which the adventurers call 'production guilds'), will visit her and ask her opinion on business matters. On the other hand, the merchants and nobles from the 'League of Freedom Cities Eastal' will also ask her to introduce influential people in Akiba to them.

She needs to investigate the details thoroughly before handling such request, or there will be trouble if she loses her reputation.

There would be no failures if she declined them all, but there are some request she cannot reject in the social world. Even if she came from the most influential Dukedom in northeast Yamato, she is not the head of the family, just a granddaughter.As a result, not everything goes the way she wants.

At the same time, she is amazed at the lack of scheming in the actions of the adventurers. In their eyes, Raynesia is a direct descendant of one of the two Dukedoms in Yamato. Even if they are curious and treat her with respect, they don't think they have to grovel at her feet.

They approach Raynesia as a people of the land to understand how a people of the land might understand or feel about things, not to take advantage of her position for their own benefit.

They probably see themselves as powerful adventurers, and even if Raynesia is a noblewoman, she is just one of the people of the land in the end. That is what Raynesia feels.


From Raynesia's angle, this makes her sad.

She is happy that the crowd don't treat her like an aristocrat and see her as another human being, but this joy and the pain is both sides of the same coin.

She is happy to be a common person of the land, but it pains her that she is a powerless noble.


(But, let's ignore this for now...)

This type of emotion is like a trap.

To fulfill the request, dignity and restriction of the nobles, she needs to learn more about the adventurers and Akiba. Not only her, but the people of the land as a whole do not know much about the adventurers, even the nobles. They assume they understand each other because they share a common language, but their lifestyle and culture has a major gap. In the process of trading or helping, there will be conflicts if they don't have the minimum amount of knowledge, which has happened numerous times.

If she doesn't advise the aristocrats and merchants this way and only help in introducing adventurers and production guilds to them, it will cause major problems one day.

On the flip side, the problems with the adventurers makes Raynesia feel gloomy. Adventurers are very practical and want practical information. All the adventurers are intelligent and educated, and so talking to them makes her feel that she and her country are ignorant of many things..

Because I am not with the military, because I am not a bureaucrat, because I am not a man...

Raynesia has not come into contact with the diplomatic issues facing her Dukedom clan because of various reasons, and she thinks that this is obvious. But her conversation with the adventurers made her realize that she doesn't even know what the citizens on the street or the farmers are eating, where they are living. What will interest them? What makes them happy or sad?

It is acceptable if she doesn't know about the adventurers, but she doesn't know the lives and heart of her citizens either, it makes Raynesia realize what a shameful excuse of a noble she is.

In order to seriously deal with the request of the nobles and the adventurers, she will need to amass a wealth of knowledge and investigate them thoroughly. This made her so busy that the words 'three meals provided with afternoon nap included' had disappeared without a trace.

"Woo wah... This is never ending."

The worst fact is that there are no limits to this type of knowledge. Even if thinks of a brilliant plan, advise or coordination, there is no guarantee that this is the best way.

If she considers it or investigates it even more, there might be a even better idea. Or if she planned more carefully, she might be able to avoid the worst outcome. These doubts lingers in the corner of her mind 24 hours a day, even Raynesia who admits she is lazy by nature is unable to cut corners.

Elisa lectured her when she collapsed with a fever after studying the books too hard. She did not remember the content of her preachings, but it was nice to have three days to recuperate.

"That's it, I'm not going to do anything!"


Raynesia enjoys her lunch elegantly with her petite mouth.

Stewed vegetables, cold dishes and the brown object known as mini hamburger steak. This is a lunch that mixes western and Japanese styles.

From the perspective of aristocrats, the dishes pack inside this small box is vulgar and shabby, but Raynesia likes it a lot. Even if the dining table is full of roasted meat, stew meat and fried meat, she can't finish them and prefers her bread and fruits as she smiles. Her appearance from  this was described as delicate and ethereal, which gives her a headache.

Comparatively, this small takeaway lunch box is a calming meal for her. The dishes after the revolution cannot be compared to before,and she can't remember her pre-revolution diet anymore.

Pickles and the rice adventurers like to eat intrigues her, and the are sweet omelette she loves is amazing. Raynesia carefully replaces the cover on the box after finishing and place the fork on type. She is still trying to learn how to use chopsticks.

"May I have some tea, Elisa?"

The room is cool and quiet.

Staying in this room like a bird nesting and enjoying a meal without anyone disturbing, what more extravagant things can she ask for? Raynesia feels that there is nothing that can match this.

Maybe Raynesia thinks she is enjoying a depraved moment. Having been trained from young, even though she is not wearing a 2-piece velvet dress, she can still wear her clothes beautifully with a feeling of class and grace. She might think she is showing the lazy side of herself, but her casual dress made with linen and chiffon is still suitable for going out in the eyes of the adventurers.

Her beautiful looks reputed as the winter rose of Eastel is the same as usual. Her casual clothes and her drowsy smile as she eats looks cute and fits her age.

A certain naggy maid might say 'your dressing and attitude is outrageous', but Raynesia is determined not to let this is three day recuperating period go to waste.

She must do her best to be lazy, to make up for the lazing around she has not done recently.

This is all the fault of the brain eating monster Crusty. She ended up like this because the lying knight with slits for eyes conned her.


Raynesia picked up the tea place in front of her table and feel the steam with her face, thinking about how busy she had been. All her joints are numbed from comfort, a deep sense of fulfillment from eating and sleeping all she wants.

Her sleeping time has dropped recently and can only be described as cruel torture.

"Really, I have been so busy all because of that mischievous monster... I need to let him realize the difference in our power in this relationship some day."

Just as Raynesia sighed happily after enjoying the fragrance of her tea, a voice that shouldn't be here sounds out.

"I am very aware of this relationship, so there is no need to trouble the princess to teach me."

Crusty, who is seated on the couch to Raynesia's right, replies without missing a beat.

His tunic is dyed in layers of brown just like the autumn leaves and matches his black edged coat. His dressing is suitable for taking a stroll with the feeling of autumn, giving Crusty a refreshing image.

The burly knight with a broad and strong upper body akin to a giant warrior, his strong limbs are long and well proportioned. So if he walks on the streets in casual clothes, it won't give off the impression of a giant, the contours of his face has the academic look of a scholar or researcher. His appearance maintains a feel of neat and cleanliness with absolutely no weak points to speak of. You can't find any even if you try.

The ominous atmosphere he gives off in the battle field makes him look like a giant warrior, but he looks so gentle and quiet on the streets, this is definitely foul play.


Crusty appearing at an impossible timing makes Raynesia repeatedly open and close her mouth in objection.

"Ah, ah, ahah!"

"It is fine if you want to scream or fidget around, but you probably should put this down."

Crusty says calmly as he took the ceramic tea cup from Raynesia's hands. His calm attitude made Raynesia's blood rush to her head and unable to think properly.

"Why.... why!"

She is unable to collect her thoughts. Why are you here? Who gave you permission? Isn't barging into a lady's personal room (this is an office, so this description is a bit wrong) outrageous? The questions that came along with her anger rises and disappears repeatedly.

Raynesia escapes by crawling to the edge of her couch. She moves at most a meter away. Considering the length of Crusty's arms, this is not enough, but she will fall off if she goes any further.

"What... What is the..."

"If you are asking about the time, it should be ten soon."

"How did..."

"Elisa let me in without saying a word."

"Why, why, why did..."

"I heard you are recuperating, so I came here to harass you."

Raynesia is speechless.

He said harass. This monster said he came here to harass me with a straight face!

"...ah."

"You say this is a prank?"

"Forgive my insolence. There are no other nobles around, so I bit my tongue by mistake. I am here to visit princess Raynesia who is busy with work and to cheer you on."

Crusty is enjoying tea from a similar teacup just like Raynesia's as he replies in a leisurely and calm way. These words seem to be decorated with lies and cannot be trusted.

Raynesia maintains a defensive posture as she trembles (psychologically) at a corner of the couch. She can hear the Elisa in her mind warning 'The princess of Maihama that is the pride of Eastel cannot act so indecently', but even if Elisa says that to her face now, she wouldn't know what to do.

"Anyway, the joke ends here."

"Eh..."

"... How is the Libra festival?"

Crusty casually asks, and Raynesia realizes this is the real topic for today.

Libra festival is the festival that involves the whole of Akiba city. Raynesia knows that this is a celebration of peace and prosperity in the city. They will be displaying all kinds of items for the event to trade or sell. There won't be any religious rites for the spirits or gods. No matter how you look at it, it is just a normal city fair, much different from the festival Raynesia knows about. The common thing will be people congregating together to have fun, or at least that is what the report says.

The Libra festival where many adventurers gather to do business should attract the visit of many People of the Land businessmen. Raynesia has already received such letters requesting she to introduce adventurers to them.

"Yes, it is fine."

"So busy, so exhausting, so much responsibility."

He reads her mind again. Raynesia is intimidated, but is gradually getting used to it. She makes a plea in her heart of 'please don't do that' which is definitely conveyed to him, but he doesn't show any mercy.

But despite the feeling of fear, she enjoys her time conversing with Crusty. He is able to see through things that Raynesia finds hard to say or wishes he would notice.

"I am... doing my work properly"

"Yes, probably."

Raynesia retaliates slightly, but he just brushes it off with a sentence.

Seems like the mind reading monster cannot tell how much effort Raynesia put in and how difficult it was.

"..."

"What is it?"

"Nothing."

Raynesia turns her head away and adopts an attitude of indifference, disregarding the gentleman with a look of boredom on her face. This act is an attack. I will not be tempted by Crusty's sweet talk. Raynesia steels herself as she averts her sideways gaze at Crusty in a hurry. Snorting is too rude, so she will not do that (She doesn't remember ever doing that).

"The preparation for the dinner party is going smoothly. Don't worry, I am doing it properly."

Raynesia's words surprised Crusty. Seems like he thought Raynesia is useless. If you think that, don't don't throw work at me okay? Raynesia thought.

"...Ahah, you mean the dinner party hosted by the princess?"

Seems like he just forgot about it.

This monster is infuriating.


The dinner party on the second night is organized by Raynesia. The 'organize' here means being the figurehead, Raynesia is unable to help in terms of preparation work and cooking duties.

Raynesia's duty is to attend this dinner party as the host and entertain the guests, running the place as the host. Even this level of dinner party in Akiba is simpler and less formal than many of the dinner parties Raynesia attended before.

Adventurers dislike hypocritical etiquette.

This understanding has slowly changed in the month Raynesia spent in Akiba.

They don't really dislike the etiquette, they just can't see the point in them. Since there is no point there are unwilling to learn, so they don't have the knowledge of complicated etiquette.

Adventurers seriously lack knowledge about this world and the people of the land society. Raynesia feels they are like children in this aspect.

(But the feeling must be mutual...)

Raynesia thought.

Raynesia works closer to the adventurers than most people of the land, but when discussed among themselves, Raynesia is unable to keep up with half of their topics. Firstly, she doesn't understand their technical terms and so she doesn't understand half of what they are saying. The part she does understand baffles her as to why they have such outrageous thoughts.

Adventurers do not even know the concept of nobles and peasants.


From the above example you can tell that both sides still have a long way to go.

But they will be able to close this gap in the future.

At least Raynesia thinks so.


The reason why it is a dinner party and not a banquet is based on the same reason.

For banquets, the invited guest will be seated according to their status for dinner. The host Raynesia will be in charge of all the activities including dishes to welcoming her guests.

The dinner party of the adventurers takes a form that is unheard of, it looks like a banquet but is a different form of dining. There will be all kinds dishes that will be served to the table and replenished periodically. There are no fixed seating for the guest and they will stand and dine like a dance party.

The round table council is the governing body and is very important, but in order to be accepted by the adventurers as friends, it is important to interact with all sorts of people. Since the adventurers do not like to differentiate between nobles and peasants, she will need to treat them all like nobles.

Raynesia requested the round table council for help bearing this thought in mind to organize this grand scale dinner party.

This is her way to show her sincerity, gratitude and appreciation for the war of Sand Leaf.

The war of Sand Leaf two months ago left lingering effects in this world, but the mop up operation has finally concluded. Raynesia welcomes the Libra festival with this feeling in her heart.

Crusty is probably going to dump more work on her using some excuse, but she will not be conned this time. Raynesia steels herself as she turns her head away.

She has finally been given some time of peace (as well as the delicious food in Akiba). No matter what, she wants to avoid working or getting involved in troublesome affairs.

But unexpectedly, Crusty did not mention any work (which always seems easy at a glance) or troublesome issues after a long time and just sipped his tea quietly.

Time passes leisurely in the room.

(What is this monster thinking about...)

As Raynesia worries, the time continues to pass slowly.

The air that seems to have a yawn mixed in came along with sleepiness. The sound of the festival preparation is like the sound of tides from far away. The monotonous sound of the clock seems like some evil magic luring her to sleep.

Raynesia had planned on spending the whole day dozing so this is not a problem. The couch is so soft and comfortable, so she wants to spend half the day just like this. This part is going as planned, but the problem is Crusty.

Even if Raynesia is a noble with an adventurous heart, she cannot keep on dozing beside a man.

Raynesia peeked quietly and carefully at Crusty. He has placed the teacup on the table and was looking out the window at the street that seemed to be melting in the autumn sunlight.

Such a handsome profile. The current Crusty doesn't have the vicious and murderous air he had while battling the goblins.

(Now I think about it, he is a monster so he can see through all your thoughts.)

Raynesia feels herself relax as if she had just exorcised a demon possessing her heart.

Just a little.

About the distance of two palms.

Raynesia moved herself closer to the center of the couch.

The distance between the two close just a little, but it is still enough for two of herself to sit between them.

Crusty shrugs without saying a word and continues to enjoy his tea on the couch for a long time.



4

"I finished stacking them!"

"Yeah, same here."

Cheerful voices sounded out, informing the merchant group they have finished the preparations.

"Are you ready Rudie?"

"Roger Miss Isuzu."

Blond hair, blue eyes and a charming face, the handsome youth Rundelhaus replied to Isuzu as he tucked his map and small items into his backpack.

Isuzu had already finished arranging her stuff, she just needs to stand up and brush the dust off of her waist off and she will be done.

In this alternate world, outdoor activities really refers to the great outdoors.'Just a trip to the convenience shop'... such feelings do not exist. Even the inside of Akiba city is full of ruins and debris, it is a zone where the ancient trees flourish so much that it is practically a forest. Even more so when you leave the city, the untamed nature and the circle of human civilization comes together in both conflict and fusion.

The fashion of the adventurers is usually flashy and elegant, but this only under the premise of their superhuman stamina and their special ability of their equipment to become clean automatically.

Isuzu thinks that neat freaks... like the girls who invest lots of effect in fingernail painting, will have a very hard time here.

Fortunately Isuzu is not obsessed with cleanliness to that extent, she is the type who doesn’t mind doing a bit of dirty doing work.

Transporting musical instruments is tough work, and long periods of performing takes a lot of stamina. The wind instrument Isuzu is not proficient in needs a certain level of lung capacity to play, the contrabass that Isuzu concentrates on is over ten kilograms in weight.

The band is a cultural organization, but it is more like a sports group.

(On top of that, I was a country girl.)

She shrugged as she finished her monologue in her heart. There will be toads croaking in the farm surrounding her school when spring arrives.

Isuzu is a bard with freckles on her face and has a pair of bright eyes. She wears light leather armor and ties her long hair in a braid. She carries a two handed spear that is not suitable for bards on her back, but that is her fighting style.

It has been three months since she left the guild Hamelin that oppressed beginners. She has grown accustomed to life as an adventurer and living everyday peacefully.

So she does not feel any pressure even when resting in a forest like this. She is fine with sitting on the tree trunk directly and will not fret about dirtying her buttocks, she thinks she is not that type of 'girl'.

Even so, Isuzu's partner still treated her like a 'girl'.

"Miss Isuzu? Here."

Just as Isuzu is about to mount the horse, Rundelhaus offered to give a hand and helped push Isuzu up on the horse. He then mounted his horse agilely with a hearty attitude that was not annoying in the slightest.

"What is it, Miss Isuzu?"

The young man turning to look at Isuzu with a surprised expression is Rundelhaus Code.

He is a people of the land adventurer. It sounds contradicting, but it makes him a special and unique person in this world.

Blond hair, blue eyes with classy facial features, just like the prince that appears in shoujo manga. With a hint of naive nature unique to the son of rich families, his eyes are full of pride and strength.

But he is overly classy which makes Isuzu see him as 'a puppy youth that looks like a golden retriever'. This youth has a lovable temperament. <TL: I tried googling 'lovable temperament' for some reasons...>


"Is this really fine sir and lady adventurers?"

"Yes, of course it's fine."

Isuzu replies.

The one asking is a People of the Land leading a merchant caravan towards Akiba. If they leave now, they should reach it in the evening.

Isuzu and Rundelhaus who went out in the morning to train and farm monsters, met this merchant caravan and is escorting them to Akiba.

They are currently at Haiko-suto 8 river channel, corresponding to Keihin port near Tamagawa river on earth.

This zone can be reached in 2.5 hours using horses unique to the adventurers, a place Isuzu and Rundelhaus love to visit, although their reason differs.

Rundelhaus who is uncompromising in training will practice by himself on top of raiding with his guild members. Any place is fine if it is meditation or practicing new spells repeatedly. But to increase his control and accuracy, the most suitable sparring partner... are monsters.

Being close to Akiba and having monsters that you can solo makes this zone the perfect training ground. For Rundelhaus, Haiko-suto 8 river channel is a convenient place to do self training.

For Isuzu, she likes this strolling route.

She and her brave dog... Rundelhaus will choose all kinds of routes when they go for their walk. But the route for Haiko-suto 8 river channel is along the coastline. It has beautiful scenery and you can even see the ocean from here, a truly extravagant venue.

A one way trip of two hours is rather far for a strolling route, but in this period where everyone is busy preparing for the festival and battle training is on hiatus, this is a good place to kill time.

... Isuzu did not forget their goal is to train the battle power of Rundelhaus and herself. The best defense in this dangerous world is to level up.

You not only learn new skills when leveling up, your HP and all sort of defense also increase.

The damage you take from a monster is not only based on their attack strength, but also affected by its level difference with the player. Usually, the higher the level difference against the monster, the less damage you take. If you train through battle and level up, it means you are more protected from harm.

Isuzu almost lost Rundelhaus once.

She doesn't want to experience that again.

So they went out early in the morning and started training (or strolling) for a few hours before meeting this merchant caravan in the afternoon. It is a convoy of five horse carriages with 20 people of the land. They seemed to have come from Izu and are going to Akiba. The merchant caravan claims to have heard news about the Libra festival and is going there to sell their wares and to purchase any goods that interest them.

Isuzu and Rundelhaus discussed for a while.

In the wild open zone, there is a principle to the monster they encounter in different terrains. The monsters in deep forests and hills are stronger than those outside. The closer you are to human civilization, the less powerful monsters are as well. This zone that is close to Akiba city is relatively safe.

But that is for adventurers.

For the people of the land, every journey is a series of dangerous events. Isuzu understands this. She has listened to Rundelhaus talk of the people of the land and knows how helpless their lives are in this world full of monsters.

After a short debate, they decided to escort this caravan to Akiba. The merchant caravan can make it to Akiba even without their escort, but traveling merchants are always extra cautious.

This will only take half a day and they are just slowing their pace on the way back. They can continue with their training while escorting the convoy by taking out any monsters they encounter. Isuzu and Rundelhaus offered to help after considering these points.

The people of the land were hesitant at first but gladly accepted when they found out the they just needed to treat them to a meal as a reward.

(So they are hesitant about this part.)

Isuzu feels a bit sad, but decide not to brood about it since it can't be helped.

In the eyes of the people of the land, adventurers are an existence that is so close yet so far away. The people of the land in Akiba are accustomed to living with adventurers, but for those living in the rural areas, adventurers are like alien beings. Rundelhaus reminds Isuzu of this point time and again.

The merchant caravan continued their advance along the gently undulating slopes under the bright autumn sun. The noise the carriage makes is unexpectedly loud. The wooden carriage lacks cushions or shock absorbents and reflects the uneven surface of the ground with its rattling sound.

Just listening to this sound is enough to make you think it could fall apart anytime, but it seems to be ruggedly made. The carriage that has been reinforced with steel bracing at all its crucial points moves slowly with its full load of cargo.

"Mr Merchant, may I ask what are you carrying in the carriage?"

Rundelhaus asks peacefully on their leisure journey home. The leader sitting on the driver's seat was conversing with a young man in the cargo compartment, but he looked outside when he heard Rundelhaus.

"Mr adventurer, our goods are mainly fruits such as oranges, kumquat and olives. We also brought some food seasoning and wine. We are hoping to purchase clothes and utensils for our journey back."

"That explains the fragrance!"

Isuzu nods repeatedly after hearing the response.

A fresh and sweet fragrance fills the air around the carriage. There are less fresh fruit during this season, so this must be the smell of candied fruits.

Adventurers are basically rich and generous compared to people of the land, so they are great customers for business.

"Correct, this is the glazed fruit we are proud of, I hope the people of Akiba will enjoy them."

Rundelhaus nods to acknowledge the leader's business smile.

"Speaking of which, I have seen a lot of merchants these few days."

"Of course, it is the autumn festival after all!"

Isuzu thinks about it after retorting Rundelhaus. Rundelhaus is a young man who is obsessed with improving himself and has been working hard in battle magic training like an obligation. They made this long trip today for training as well, but things could go wrong if Rundelhaus keeps going on like this... Isuzu is worried. As the guardian for this silly, stubborn and straightforward young man, stopping his reckless ways is Isuzu's duty.

(Rudie should have a bit of fun too!)

Since this is decided, the rest is simple.

Isuzu listed some places she wanted to visit. Festival means music, music means celebration. There are so many things she wants to see and so many things she wants to eat. She wants to attend the campfire concert even if she has to drag Rundelhaus there with a leash on his neck. She heard that the concert also welcomes bards to join in on-site.

"Do any merchants travel by sea?"

"Yeah, there are. Like the merchants of Ninetails recently."

"...Ah ah."

"Their situation has calmed down so it is safe to travel by ship. I heard the merchants from the west this time will be coming via sea. With the invention of the fairy ship, their speed is now much faster. But common traders like us has nothing to do with these."

Isuzu concentrates on planning the schedule for the evening and didn't notice the pained expression on Rundelhaus' face. But she is not at fault since Rundelhaus shows the restraint of adolescence and wipe this expression away in a blink of the eye, even the merchant talking to him didn't feel anything out of place.

The scene of a grand explosion collapsing structures and leaving debris describes the south of Akiba perfectly. They will be able to see the greenery of the ancient trees after passing through.

There is still several hours away from Akiba but they can see other caravans or lone businessman walking with goods strapped to his horse. Everyone seems to be rushing to Akiba.

Akiba is holding a autumn festival.

The two escort remains alert as they head towards their home city.



5

"I have brought your laundry my lord."

The one pushing the door open with her back is Akatsuki.

(I still don't get our lord-ninja relationship.)

Shiroe thinks as he help her place the pile besides a table. Hiss room is a spacious 20 tatami wide in area. The only good thing about the guild house of Log Horizon is its vast amount of space. After remodeling several times, a third of the space on the east side of the 2nd floor is used by Shiroe.

<20 tatami ~ 31 m² ~ 333.4 ft²>

A computer or even a flash drive amount of information in the old world is equivalent to several cabinets of files in this world. No matter how you organize them it is still inefficient to search for the data you want, but this is the only way to collate information.

"You seems to be unwell?"

Akatsuki gazes up from below surprising Shiroe. This petite and beautiful girl is unaware of her own charms. She is always looking straight ahead, so when Shiroe sees her big, black and shiny eyes and lips that sparkle alluringly like pudding face to face, his heart races and his emotions gets awkward.

(And recently...)

Even if there has been signs before, Akatsuki is getting better at sneaking up on him. Maybe it's her small stature or her tracker and assassin abilities, she is always appearing in surprising places whenever Shiroe was distracted.

Without even stretching his hands, he can already feel her body warmth just by bending a little. This distance makes Shiroe uncomfortable, but Akatsuki doesn't seem to mind as she shows her concern for Shiroe like some small animal.

"Not really."

"Is that so."

Akatsuki does not continue after responding and instead starts folding the laundry on the sofa. These are casual wear clothing that have dried after airing them on the floor above.

The armors and robes that adventurers equip has a set durability. It becomes dirty and worn out as it suffers damage, but it also becomes as good as new after repair by the people with the corresponding subclass, so there is no need to wash them.

But adventurers and the people of the land have recently started to manually craft items by hand. They can become dirty and damaged but cannot be repaired using the game menu, so they need to be washed manually.

White shirts fluttering on the laundry line is not a bad sight. Doing laundry is one of the more popular chores among Log horizon members.


There are very few clothes.

They finish folding a short while later with them working together. Akatsuki pours black rose tea into a glass and takes out her snack of the day, which seems to be a red bean bun. Bread is a staple food in Yamato since wheat is grown everywhere. There is rice in Yamato as well, but bread lasts longer without going bad after baking. With the advent of cooking research, all kinds of bread started to appear in the market.

The new products are expensive at first, but the price gradually drops after mass production kicks in. Since the consumer habit hasn't changed, this business phenomenon remains the same in this world.

The price of this plain looking red bean bread has fallen a lot, but it is still expensive for a snack. Holding a bun with her left hand, Akatsuki handed the plate with the remaining bun over to Shiroe.

"Is it fine?"

"My treat, I hope my lord will appreciate it."

Akatsuki replies curtly, Shiroe is not sure how to react to her invitation.

Shiroe has not went out to the field recently as he is busy with administrative work. Akatsuki who has been training with Minori and the other beginners out in the field has money to spare, so Shiroe is not worried about the cost. But as a guild master and a young man, letting a little girl (appearance wise) treat him feels awkward.

Shiroe also feels this is childish pride, but it is an emotional problem so it can't be helped that he shows some hesitation. But, it will look bad if he declines out of pride, so Shiroe accepts the bun with gratitude.

Akatsuki starts eating her share as Shiroe takes the plate. The two of them sit side by side on the sofa resting their feet and enjoying the sweet red bean paste.

"..."

"What is it Akatsuki?"

"Eh, that..."

Akatsuki eyes wander around the room as she thinks about how to say this.

"My lord, do you..."

"?"

"Have any plans for the festival?"

"Ah?"

Shiroe doesn't know how to react to her question.

Henrietta did ask him to help with some things. And his guild members might forget his face if he stay in his office all the time.

"I will be helping Henrietta with some events. I heard it is a fashion show... seems like she needs to visit several places."

"I see... I am not asking about that."

"?"

"Mr Shiroe!"

Minori barges into the room, holding a brown paper bag carefully with both hands. When she discovers Akatsuki is present, she brakes and halts immediately.

The stammering Minori is wearing her favorite blouse with a big bow and her knee length denim skirt. The girl wearing fashionable street clothes answered Shiroe's questioning gaze after hesitating for a moment.

"Mr Shiroe, regarding the Libra festival tomorrow, do you want to go out together?"

"Go out?"

"Wrong, I mean do you want to go eat together?"

Minori handed him a flyer with bright words "All you can eat cakes" printed on it. Shiroe doesn’t get it and turns to Akatsuki for an explanation. Akatsuki gives a serious expression as she holds an identical flyer in front of her chest.

"Do you hate sweet things Mr Shiroe?"

"No, I don't."

"I could guess from the way you ate the red bean bun."

Shiroe prefers food with just the right amount of sweetness.

"Let's participate my lord, there is no charge for mixed gender pairs that participate."

"Want to join this Mr Shiroe? It's free okay? Free!"

According to the flyer, the participation criteria is one male and one female... meaning mixed gender pairs. The time limit is 45 minutes, and it is free of charge if you finish eating eight. The top two couples can advance to the official match.

(So four for a single person...)

Since it is just cake, this amount should be easily manageable, but Shiroe feels the two of them are abnormally passionate about this. He must be imagining things, but there seems to be a bit of hostility between the two of them. Shiroe is concerned about this, but for some reason, he hesitated about asking them directly.

(Ah, now that I think of it, in the past...)

Correct, it was the same in the past.

He recollects that it was the same in the Debauchery Tea Party. It is always the female players who make willful demands, with 'her' being the biggest culprit. Shiroe sighs in his heart when he thinks about this. If all women have the same nature, (and that is highly possible), it wouldn’t be wise to decline them.

"How about it Mr Shiroe..."

"My lord, my lord!"

Shiroe can only raise his white flag and surrender when pressured by these two young girls.


Chapter 1 end