Chapter 53: It’s payback for before

It’s payback for before

“Everyone’s gone home now~”
“Yeah~”

Lily and I are the only two left now that Luna and the king have returned to the capital.
We had plenty of free time once we finished cleaning up the remains of our breakfast.

“Ah, speaking of which, a number of things happened and Tré’s feeling down at the moment. I’m sorry, but can you go comfort her?”

Lily should have more success, and I want Tré to cheer up as soon as possible.

“Okay!!”

Heeding my request, Lily races towards Tré’s room.
……I expect it to go well with Tré with that attitude, but now I’m left by myself.

“……Sigh……Today was a rather busy day……”

Those words unintentionally spilled from my mouth.

“Oh, did you really have that much trouble?”
“…………Eh?”

I hadn’t been talking to anyone in particular and had simply been talking to myself just then, but suddenly there was a response from behind.

“A-Asha-san……?”

When I timidly turned around, standing before me was the one who always took care of me at the guild, Asha-san.

“Yes, it’s me, Asha. It’s been since yesterday, hasn’t it.”
“Y-yes……”

I don’t know how she came all the way here without making a sound but as one would expect, I was very surprised.

“Err…S-so can I help you with anything……?”

It was only after I asked about helping that I remembered what Asha-san had done to me before.
I felt my face heat up slowly.

“Yes. Actually, it’s about Aura-san but……”

Asha-san informs me, while I was in such a state.
Although it may seem rude to Aura, my heated face gradually cools down when I hear it.
Calmly thinking about it, Lily did tell me about Aura talking to Asha-san, so it’s reasonable for Asha-san to be seeking me about that. I guess she had some funny misunderstanding.

“Um… Nest-san, you… did you do that… with Aura-san……?”

Asha-san asks somewhat hesitantly, turning her face away.

“……P-probably……”

I doubt Aura would have told her that much, so without knowing how much Asha-san knows, I found it difficult to confess and succumb to embarrassment.

“As I expected, even Aura-san finds it embarrassing so……”
“Y-yeah…..”

As expected, I should have stopped playing dead sooner back then……
Then the situation wouldn’t have become like this.

“And so, like this… f-for me as well… it might be difficult to continue our usual livelihood so――
――Please forget about it.”
“!?”

The moment I heard Asha-san’s words, my head was struck from behind.
When I try look wondering what it was, Aura was there, holding some kind of hard-looking blunt weapon.

“Wha!? Aura, what are you……!?”
“To make someone forget, the best method is to hit their head… is what I heard so……”

W-who taught Aura such unnecessary things!?

“A-as if I could forget just like―!?”

While I was talking to Aura, my head was struck from behind again.

“E-even Asha-san― ! ?”
“I’m sorry, I also ended up doing something a little audacious so please forget everything.”
“I-is this for real…….”

My head wasn’t accustomed to getting injured, but luckily it didn’t hurt.
Nevertheless, I couldn’t concentralte on healing very well, perhaps because my head was being swung at with all their strength.

“H-how about we calm down for now?”

I frantically try to escape from the demonic hands of the two holding blunt weapons.

“Don’t run and be hit obediently!!”
“No way, that’s unreasonable! There’s no way I would forget just like that, right!?”

I aim for for an escape route upon being driven to the wall.

“Uwah!?”

It was at such a moment. I was caught from behind by a separate pair of hands.

“It’s payback for before……”
“T-Tré!?”

Who knew Tré would join the battle? I was caught by the enemy.

“Fufufu… Just accept it Nest……”
“Nest-san, please be at ease. We’ll be as gentle as possible……”
“N-N-NOOOOOOoooOOoooo!!”

And starting from those words, I could hear the voices gradually growing softer and eventually becoming completely inaudible――

 

“nn…….mn…..?”
“Oh, you’re awake?”

It seems I fell asleep without realising it after the king’s party returned, with Aura returning in the meantime.

“Yeah, welcome back Aura.”

I don’t know why, but I feel as though it’s been a while since I talked to Aura.

“I’m home. Hey Nest, that…… d-do you have any recollection of doing something with me that seemed embarrassing……?”

Aura asks me, her face turning slightly red for some reason.

“……No? I don’t remember anything though……”
“Th-that’s good then. You don’t have to worry about it then.”

Aura makes a somewhat relieved face when she hears my words, her hand patting her chest.

“Th-then I have something to do now so……”

Eventually she started talking and then left immediately afterwards, heading off somewhere.
…………I feel like I had gotten mixed up in something, but nothing stood out with everything the same as usual, so I guess it was just my misunderstanding?
I suppose the feeling of my face being a little swollen was also――

 

――just my imagination, right?