「Even though I said I would guide them around Uruk….」
The three people and one animal behind us had disappeared before I realized it.
I didn’t know when they disappeared, but I discovered it considerably late.
With this, I was disqualified as a guide.
「Did Kurou-sama notice it?」
「Of course. Who do you think I am.」
This was the first time I was this bitter about this person who carelessly said that.
I pouted and glared darkly at Kurou-sama.
「Then why didn’t you not stop them!」
「You’re the guide. Not me. It’s you who was engrossed in the conversation who was wrong. …rather than that, can’t you change the way you call me.」
It’s not that I didn’t realize that he was changing the topic, but I tilted my head in confusion, wondering what was so strange about it.
No matter how I thought about it, I didn’t feel that addressing him by “Kurou-sama” was strange.
Seeing that, Kurou-sama sighed.
Certainly, back when I didn’t know anything.
I had been following Kurou-sama around everywhere, calling him “Kurou”, but it was no longer possible to address Kurou-sama who was known as the beastman hero and was a part of the former hero’s party without any honorifics.
Perhaps he understood my feelings, as Kurou-sama narrowed his eyes.
「What is the relationship between you and I.」
「Um, the person who named me and the child who was given a name, right?」
I was told that Kurou-sama had given me my name, not my parents.
I didn’t know its origin, but Kurou-sama borrowed part of the name of someone he respected.
Who that person was, I still did not know.
In those days, I did not realize what an honor it was, and I had only thought of Kurou-sama as an ojisan who lived next door.
「Where in the world would there be a child who would attach a ‘-sama- to the person who gave them their name.」
「Right here….」
There’s one right here, I tried to say that, but I was glared at by his sharp eyes and I shut my mouth.
Come to think of it, I was glared at like this back then as well.
Kurou-sama still looked exactly like he did back then, but it was now more intimidating as I have grown taller and his face was closer.
I wonder why the younger me was not afraid of those eyes.
When I fixedly stared into those eyes, that were a deeper shade of blue than mine, Kurou-sama looked away as if he was shy.
「…maa, it’s fine. Leaving that aside, we’re going somewhere else. This place makes me uncomfortable.」
I looked around, and then my face turned red.
Because I had confirmed with Amelia-sama herself yesterday that she and Akira-sama were in love, we were wandering around the famous dating spot in Uruk, the City of Water.
There were many couples who, far from being afraid of being seen by those around them, rather, were exchanging kisses as if displaying their love.
There were no words to describe how uncomfortable it was.
「I, I’m really sorry! Let’s quickly go someplace else!」
I grabbed Kurou-sama’s hand, and left that place in a panic.
I rushed into the next street over, and barely caught my breath.
「Fu…fufu, hahaha!」
Disheveled, when I stopped to catch my breath, I heard someone burst into laughter.
I looked up, and it was coming from Kurou-sama.
He was someone who always had a frown on his face, and rarely smiled, but right now, he was holding his stomach and laughing.
「Ku, Kurou-sama!?」
If the other person was someone besides Kurou-sama, I may have laughed as well, but it was different if it’s him.
During the village’s festival, even if he saw something funny that invoked everyone’s laughter, there would be no change in his facial expression.
Could it be that he ate something strange.
「As I thought, you’re interesting.」
While smiling, Kurou-sama had put his hand on my head.
A never-before-seen smile adorned that face that was tilted downwards towards me due to the difference in height.
Being patted and seeing that face, I froze.
The warmth displayed on his face that had never appeared before, even I understood.
「Ah, I…wha.」
What are you doing, I wanted to ask, but the words were stuck in my throat and did not come out.
The things that I wanted to say spilled from my mouth in fragments, turning incoherent.
Kurou-sama was still a bachelor, oddly enough, but he had a beautiful face.
If not for the sour look that perpetually graced his face, wouldn’t he have had one or two wives.
In other words, what I wanted to say was, such a man’s smile along with the skinship was truly destructive.
「Oi, are you ok.」
When I came back to my senses, Kurou-sama had the usual unreadable look on his face, and he had already removed his hand from my head.
When I shook my head at Kurou-sama who had a wonderful look on his face, telling him that I was fine, he acknowledged it and continued to walk.
I caught up with Kurou-sama who quickly walked ahead while wondering if it was a dream, and when I raised my head, his lips were drawing an arc, as if remembering what happened just now.
「It wasn’t a dream….」
「What did you say?」
Flustered, I shook my head at Kurou-sama who looked down at me when I dumbfoundedly muttered that.
「No! Nothing at all! …by the way, where are we going?」
His stride was confident, as if he had a destination in mind and was not aimlessly wandering around.
Since this was a complicated maze-like city, even I did not know where we were going.
「I’ll tell you when we get there.」
「At that time, I will already know, won’t I!? It’s just that telling me is troublesome!」
He did not respond to my words of protest.
「Even though I said I would guide them around Uruk….」
The three people and one animal behind us had disappeared before I realized it.
I didn’t know when they disappeared, but I discovered it considerably late.
With this, I was disqualified as a guide.
「Did Kurou-sama notice it?」
「Of course. Who do you think I am.」
This was the first time I was this bitter about this person who carelessly said that.
I pouted and glared darkly at Kurou-sama.
「Then why didn’t you not stop them!」
「You’re the guide. Not me. It’s you who was engrossed in the conversation who was wrong. …rather than that, can’t you change the way you call me.」
It’s not that I didn’t realize that he was changing the topic, but I tilted my head in confusion, wondering what was so strange about it.
No matter how I thought about it, I didn’t feel that addressing him by “Kurou-sama” was strange.
Seeing that, Kurou-sama sighed.
Certainly, back when I didn’t know anything.
I had been following Kurou-sama around everywhere, calling him “Kurou”, but it was no longer possible to address Kurou-sama who was known as the beastman hero and was a part of the former hero’s party without any honorifics.
Perhaps he understood my feelings, as Kurou-sama narrowed his eyes.
「What is the relationship between you and I.」
「Um, the person who named me and the child who was given a name, right?」
I was told that Kurou-sama had given me my name, not my parents.
I didn’t know its origin, but Kurou-sama borrowed part of the name of someone he respected.
Who that person was, I still did not know.
In those days, I did not realize what an honor it was, and I had only thought of Kurou-sama as an ojisan who lived next door.
「Where in the world would there be a child who would attach a ‘-sama- to the person who gave them their name.」
「Right here….」
There’s one right here, I tried to say that, but I was glared at by his sharp eyes and I shut my mouth.
Come to think of it, I was glared at like this back then as well.
Kurou-sama still looked exactly like he did back then, but it was now more intimidating as I have grown taller and his face was closer.
I wonder why the younger me was not afraid of those eyes.
When I fixedly stared into those eyes, that were a deeper shade of blue than mine, Kurou-sama looked away as if he was shy.
「…maa, it’s fine. Leaving that aside, we’re going somewhere else. This place makes me uncomfortable.」
I looked around, and then my face turned red.
Because I had confirmed with Amelia-sama herself yesterday that she and Akira-sama were in love, we were wandering around the famous dating spot in Uruk, the City of Water.
There were many couples who, far from being afraid of being seen by those around them, rather, were exchanging kisses as if displaying their love.
There were no words to describe how uncomfortable it was.
「I, I’m really sorry! Let’s quickly go someplace else!」
I grabbed Kurou-sama’s hand, and left that place in a panic.
I rushed into the next street over, and barely caught my breath.
「Fu…fufu, hahaha!」
Disheveled, when I stopped to catch my breath, I heard someone burst into laughter.
I looked up, and it was coming from Kurou-sama.
He was someone who always had a frown on his face, and rarely smiled, but right now, he was holding his stomach and laughing.
「Ku, Kurou-sama!?」
If the other person was someone besides Kurou-sama, I may have laughed as well, but it was different if it’s him.
During the village’s festival, even if he saw something funny that invoked everyone’s laughter, there would be no change in his facial expression.
Could it be that he ate something strange.
「As I thought, you’re interesting.」
While smiling, Kurou-sama had put his hand on my head.
A never-before-seen smile adorned that face that was tilted downwards towards me due to the difference in height.
Being patted and seeing that face, I froze.
The warmth displayed on his face that had never appeared before, even I understood.
「Ah, I…wha.」
What are you doing, I wanted to ask, but the words were stuck in my throat and did not come out.
The things that I wanted to say spilled from my mouth in fragments, turning incoherent.
Kurou-sama was still a bachelor, oddly enough, but he had a beautiful face.
If not for the sour look that perpetually graced his face, wouldn’t he have had one or two wives.
In other words, what I wanted to say was, such a man’s smile along with the skinship was truly destructive.
「Oi, are you ok.」
When I came back to my senses, Kurou-sama had the usual unreadable look on his face, and he had already removed his hand from my head.
When I shook my head at Kurou-sama who had a wonderful look on his face, telling him that I was fine, he acknowledged it and continued to walk.
I caught up with Kurou-sama who quickly walked ahead while wondering if it was a dream, and when I raised my head, his lips were drawing an arc, as if remembering what happened just now.
「It wasn’t a dream….」
「What did you say?」
Flustered, I shook my head at Kurou-sama who looked down at me when I dumbfoundedly muttered that.
「No! Nothing at all! …by the way, where are we going?」
His stride was confident, as if he had a destination in mind and was not aimlessly wandering around.
Since this was a complicated maze-like city, even I did not know where we were going.
「I’ll tell you when we get there.」
「At that time, I will already know, won’t I!? It’s just that telling me is troublesome!」
He did not respond to my words of protest.
