The seemingly last stop in the tour Ririna was giving me was a weird coffee shop that looked really out of place in a medieval-based setting, and stepping inside only made that more apparent. The shop was wide, open, and bright, which made it really stylish and surprisingly classy. Despite how weird it initially appears, I kinda like it. Though it’s not the sort of place I would ever go to, it’s too fancy for me. Even now, I’m feeling a little out of place. I go my whole life without ever going to a place like this, yet I go to a fantasy world, and this is one of my first stops. How ironic is that?

 

The tables were pretty separated from one another and quite small. Around half of the tables were filled, and most of the shop’s clients were women. At least I don’t feel out of place in that regard. On one of the tables, there was a girl with black hair and cat ears talking to a girl wearing a chest plate, but suddenly the cat girl stopped and started looking our way.

 

“Oh! Hey, Ririna, over here!” The girl, whom I assume is a cat girl, raised her arm and started waving energetically. She looked like she was about to climb onto the table, but the lady in armor stopped her from doing that. She’s calling out to Ririna, so I guess they’re the friends Ririna was talking about.

 

“Sarasa! And Flanne too! I’m so glad to find you two here.” Ririna rushed over to the two of them, and the cat girl high-fived Ririna. Wow, this is awkward now. How do I join now? Did Ririna forget about me? Standing around in the middle of the shop was just as awkward as trying to get closer, so I slowly moved towards Ririna.

 

“Good afternoon. Who might you be?” I was trying to be sneaky, but of course that wasn’t going to work. When I got close to the table, the girl in armor called out to me.

 

“Uhmm… I…” I’m starting to get visibly nervous. It’s not that I’m bad at dealing with new people, I’m not great either, but that’s not the case here. I just can’t think properly when I’m talking to pretty girls, and Ririna’s two friends are really pretty.

 

“This one’s a cutie. Hyahahahah! Ririna brought a cutie with her!” Eh?! What the hell is she saying? Ririna brought a cutie with her? Where? “Did you bring her as a gift for me? You shouldn’t have!” The cat girl was laughing while looking at me, but I don’t think her eyes are working properly. She’s so much cuter than me…

 

“Shut up, Sarasa!” Ririna quieted the cat girl with an adorable pout. “This is Iroha. She saved me, so don’t be rude to her.” Ririna grabbed onto my shoulder and presented me to the other two girls. I’m really stiff right now.

 

“H- hi.”

 

“She saved you?” The cat girl looked at Ririna after taking a look at me. “Were you even in trouble in the first place?”

 

“She did! If it wasn’t for Iroha, I would have had to run away from a monster, and I wouldn’t have escaped unscathed.”

 

“You would have been fine. There’s nothing dangerous in that forest. You would have been fine.”

 

“I’m not you. I can’t rely on luck to save me from all my dumb decisions like you.”

 

“It’s not luck. I’m telling you, I’m just that good.” At some point, Ririna and the cat girl started bickering. They’re so caught up in their own world that they might have forgotten that I’m here.

 

“Don’t mind those two.” The girl wearing a chest plate places down her teacup on the table and talks to me. Even with those two fighting, she remains calm and composed. “My name is Flanne Valoria. Maybe you can tell just by looking, but I’m a soldier, and I’ve been positioned here for a few weeks. I’m actually on duty right now, but since this town is really peaceful, I get paid for sitting here drinking tea. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?” The girl giggles.

 

“Yeah… It sounds really nice.” I was still nervous, but it’s really easy to talk to this girl. Flanne, huh? I’ll remember it. I mean, I can’t afford to just forget the name of a pretty lady. Flanne has long, wavy hair, and its color is somewhere between dark red and dark pink. I think the correct name is bordeaux. She’s sitting down, but just by looking at her, I can tell she’s taller than me. Her eyes are green, and they’re really refreshing to look at. She’s wearing a dark red, long-sleeved shirt with white vertical lines and a chest plate on top, and judging by the size of the chest plate, I think she’s quite endowed…

 

“Stop distracting me from the cutie you brought!” The girl with cat ears forgets about Ririna and suddenly locks eyes with me. “I’m Sarasa! I’m an adventurer, and you can find me anywhere where there’s treasure. Except for here. You can still find me here, even though there’s no treasure. But that’s not even true. Because here is where I’ve found you! Nyahahahahah!” Dammit! She caught me by surprise and now I can’t stop blushing! How am I even cute? They’re all so much cuter than me that it’s not even relevant to bring me into the conversation.

 

I don’t think Flanne is one, but Sarasa has to be a character from the game. I don’t remember her, but she looks too good not to be. She’s a cat girl with tan skin, blue gemlike eyes, black hair in a perfectly straight bob cut, and a golden circlet on top. She’s lightly dressed, wearing only shorts with an orange top and a large golden collar over it. Frankly, she has a very cliched Egyptian look that you see often in games and anime. This style appears more often in the area of the game with the fractured lands. She's really hot, so I already like her.

 

“Don’t be rude.” Ririna pushes Sarasa’s shoulder.

 

“I’m just saying she’s cute! How is that rude?!”

 

“It’s the way that you’re saying it.”

 

“Anyways, it’s nice to meet you… Iroha?” Sarasa tilted her head to the side, like she wasn’t entirely sure of what she was saying.

 

“Yes… I’m Iroha Shinohara. Uhmm… It’s nice to meet you two.” I subconsciously bowed slightly as I introduced myself properly. When I finished speaking, Ririna came over to my side.

 

“Iroha is traveling to get stronger. She helped me out just now, and she’s also not from here, so I would like you two to help her out if you can.” Ririna wanted to repay the small favor I did for her and gave the other two girls a short bow.

 

“I’m a soldier. My job is to help others, you didn’t even need to ask. I would have helped her regardless.” Flanne looked at the two of us with a smile. I thought she was kinda lazy when she said she was getting paid for doing nothing, but I guess that’s not true at all.

 

“Of course I’ll help out as well. If you’re traveling to get stronger, does that mean you’re an adventurer like me?” Sarasa excitedly turned towards me, eager to hear my response.

 

“I’m not… At least not yet. I just want to fight more monsters. That’s it.” The four of us sat down around the table, and we started talking.

 

“Not yet. You’re right about that. We should really partner up then. If you only care about monsters, that means I get to keep all the treasure and the money!” Sarasa laughed at her own joke. “So, like, are you strong?”

 

“I’m not sure… I don’t think so. I’ve only just started.” I’m only level 6, after all.

 

“You’ve only just started? That means you’re really strong!” Ririna couldn’t believe what I said and raised her voice. I’m strong? What is she talking about? Is it because of that flower monster I killed? It was just weak, that’s all.

 

“I don’t get it. What are you saying? Is Iroha strong or not?” Sarasa was looking between me and Ririna, unsure of who to believe. Flanne hadn’t said anything, but she was really intrigued too, and had stopped sipping her tea again.

 

“She killed a Dots Flower without any issue with just a sword. That’s impressive for a beginner, right?” Was that monster called Dots Flower? The name’s not unfamiliar. Now that I’m thinking about it, it did have some brighter spots on its body.

 

“That’s true. Those flowers can be really annoying at first with all the crap they throw at you.” Sarasa seemed to be in agreement with Ririna. If this goes on, they’re gonna start expecting a lot from me, and they’ll be disappointed. I don’t want that to happen.

 

“It’s not that impressive. I only managed to beat it because Ririna warned me of its attack. Otherwise, I would have lost.” A small smile escaped me as I spoke.

 

“Unimpressive as they may be, you shouldn’t disregard your victories. If your goal is to get stronger, this much may be nothing to you, but the first step can be just as meaningful as the last.” Flanne was clearly trying to encourage me, but now I think they’re all just exaggerating. I don’t think what she said is wrong, but the fight wasn’t that much of a struggle. After I saw through its trick with Ririna’s help, it was a breeze. Anyone could have done it.

 

“Thanks.” I don’t think they’re getting ridiculous ideas about me anymore, so I can just accept their words for now.

 

“Hey, Iroha. What’s something people do that really annoys you?” Sarasa put her elbows on the table and leaned forward.

 

That was a random question. “Uhmm… I…” Something that annoys me? I’m not sure… I kinda hate it when people start laughing after whispering to each other. But I don’t know if I would call that feeling annoyed. It just makes me feel self-conscious. “I guess I-“

 

“Don’t answer her.” Flanne interrupts me. “Anything you say will be used against you. Sarasa loves to push people’s buttons and get into fights, so don’t tell her anything.” Is she serious? Did I almost just walk into a trap?

 

“Who me? I’m a saint! I would never do something like that.” Flanne was right. Sarasa is trying to play dumb her face tells me she’s barely holding back her laughter.

 

“That’s right, Iroha. Be careful about everything you say near her. She’s pure evil.” Ririna stared at Sarasa for a while, which caused the cat girl to burst out laughing, and the rest of us soon followed.

 

“Iroha, if you’re fine with fighting monsters, do you want to accompany me tomorrow?” Ririna asked after the laughter had died down. “I still need more materials, and these ones can only be gathered from monsters, so it’s better for me to work with people who can actually fight. Sarasa’s already accompanying me, but I would like you to come as well.”

 

That’s a tempting proposal. It’s a good opportunity for me to get more levels, while also getting to know Ririna and Sarasa a little better. I’m definitely interested in going. I wasn’t even supposed to start exploring this world today, but I’m glad I did. What a great opportunity this is! I was just about to tell her I was interested in joining when Sarasa spoke up.

 

“You’re asking Iroha to join us? Am I not enough for you?” Sarasa’s voice was filled with irony. “I thought we were made for each other. You’re telling me you’re not satisfied with just me?”

 

Ririna knew what Sarasa was doing and first shot her a quick glare. “You know I’m not trying to replace you. I know you’re a good fighter, but there’s no harm in having Iroha come with us. Besides, you’re too unpredictable. How many times have you gotten me in danger?”

 

“And how many times have I saved you from that same danger? Everything always works out in the end, so what’s your issue?” Sarasa shrugged off Ririna’s complaints.

 

“It’s bad for my heart. I’d rather have Iroha come with us thank you very much.” Ririna finished telling Sarasa what she had to say and turned to me again. “So, Iroha, are you interested in coming with us? The monsters we’re going after aren’t very strong. So you shouldn’t be in too much danger.”

 

“Uhmm… Yes, I wouldn’t mind joining you.” She didn’t need to ask me again, as I had already made my mind.

 

“Really?” Ririna’s voice was filled with enthusiasm. “That’s so reassuring!” Ririna clenched my hand between both her hands. “I’ll have such an easier time gathering tomorrow. I look forward to working with you, Iroha.”

 

Yeah, me too.