c 19 "Reunion!”

"Reunion!"

──── Squish.

"Miss Fio, I'm so, so glad you're all right!"

The saint cries out in joy and presses her blossoming bosom against my face.

────Nice boobs!

"...Sob. When your back went 'snap' like that, I was beside myself with worry! Oh, Miss Fio, I'm truly glad you're all right!"

Past noon at our hideout, I am reunited with my friends, who have finally arrived at the kingdom. Yuri, with her eyes swollen and red, embraces me tightly in a wonderfully salacious way.

────Long live boobs!

"Hey, Root, look at Fio's face. She's completely immersed in her friend's tits, that filthy lolita."

"...I wish she'd pay me back for all my worrying."

I find comfort in the muttering voices of the men who respond jealously to the unexpected way this reunion has unfolded.

Swaying. Undulating. My face hidden between Yuri's milk jugs is filled with happiness. I never want to lose this sensation again.

"Hey, Yuri. No need to make Fio any happier than she already is. You can let her go now."

"Oh, um, really?"

Unfortunately, as if to say, "Happy Hour is over!", Yuri abruptly pulls away from me. Deprived of that voluptuous sensation, I experience a loneliness describable as a void in my chest.

Ugh. Verdi, are you so hateful of my happiness?

"Verdi, you bastard, shut up with your unnecessary comments! ...For starters, you guys were supposed to be protecting me. Who leaves a healer unprotected? You're the vanguard, so do your job!"

"We had our hands full responding to the surprise attack. You're the one who got taken out with a single blow, you small fry slug. You couldn't even come crying to me."

"What did you say?!"

"H-hey, it's not good to fight!"

"Oh, you can ignore them, Yuri. These two are always like this."

It's been a while since I've seen Verdi, so I make sure to mess with him a bit. Yeah, this is the best kind of dynamic to maintain with the bastard.

"Well, Yuri, you seemed worried about me. Thanks."

"Of course. ...You're my dear friend, Fio."

"O-oh, yeah? Haha. You're making me blush."

Yuri's warm smile has a healing effect on me. Honestly, the girl has a great personality. If only Alto weren't tangled up in all of this.

Even if she's part of the same harem, those like Rei-who are pretty much monsters like me-should really take a page out of Yuri's book.

"By the way, Yuri, not that I don't enjoy you hugging me like this, but don't you need to be with your beloved Alto?"

"Never mind that. You were the one I was worried about, Fio."

"Yu-Yuri!"

Honestly, what a lovely girl! When you're a member of Alto's harem, it's no easy task to give preferential treatment to your wounded comrade over him.

If Alto had chosen Yuri out the four of them, he probably would have been much happier. Seriously.

...I'm sure it will cause Yuri a lot of emotional pain if she finds out what happened between the two of us. Yeah, let's hope he's secretly cheating on me with Yuri as well. He's pretty amoral that way, so it's highly likely.

As I pray for my lover to be cheating on me, the idiot next to me starts talking again.

"Hey, Fio, I've got something to tell you."

"What is it, Verdi? Tell me."

What does he have to say now of all times?

"I heard the four girls just played a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. Only the winner was allowed to go be lovey-dovey with Alto. Yuri right there lost the last round and was beside herself with grief."

"Damn it! Verdi, you bastard, thanks for the unsolicited information!"

Turning my gaze towards Alto, I see Rin alone embracing him while Rei and Mamiya observe them expressionlessly off in the distance.

What a picture.

"Yuri, but, you know, even if you did win the Rock-Paper-Scissors, you still would've come to me, right? Of course, after you'd been with Alto."

"..."

"Why can't you look me in the eyes, Yuri?"

"...Miss Fio, I'm so glad you're all right!"

──── Squish.

Once again, the blissful sensation hits my face. Marshmallows, marshmallows...

"Yuri's ran off now."

"Oh, but look at the sleazy expression on Fio's face. You really worked your way out of that one, Yuri."

──── Oh ho!

"Well then, let's end our happy reunion there. Everyone, gather."

As Yuri's extraordinary elasticity causes my eyes to roll and my nose to flare from heavy breathing, Alto, with Rin still on his shoulder, gathers everyone together. It looks like the time has come for serious talk.

"Hey, Rin, time to get off. I'm sure you're heavy for Alto."

"...No. Alto, please, a little more..."

"I don't mind. So, let's start talking."

──── Tsk.

I hear tongues clicking in disapproval from every direction. Yes. This atmosphere. I finally feel like I have been reunited with everyone.

With stiff expressions on their faces, the three girls lower themselves onto the long sofa in the room.

With Rin on his shoulder-wearing an annoying expression of satisfaction on her face-Alto leans against the wall on the window side of the room along the sofa. Verdi, Root, and I sit on our designated seats, which consists of three chairs surrounding a small round table.

This means we are now ready to begin the strategy meeting of our warrior party.

"With everyone here today, we'll most likely need to go give a report to the king regarding our battle. That's why I'd like to exchange information about what happened after we parted ways."

"Understood, Alto."

It is Root who stands to answer Alto's request. As Root is something like the sub-leader of our party, naturally he is the one to respond.

"After running away, we were hardly pursued by the orcs. We put up a barrier around the mountain we ran into, and, after spending a night there, we returned once again to the city where we were staying. The orc raid had already ended, and there wasn't a single monster left. Fortunately, it appeared no serious damage had been done to the city. We stayed in town for around a day to be sure, and, since there appeared to be no further danger, we came back to the kingdom as had been decided."

"I see. Thank you, Root. Well then, here is our report."

Next, it was Alto's turn to reflect on our journey.

"Well, after we separated, the orcs pursued us with extreme intensity. They chased us for a whole day. Quite the task to shake them off. After that... w-well."

"Alto? What's the matter?"

...That bastard. He's remembering something. Don't start acting suspiciously now. Seriously, stop it, or you'll be the death of me.

"Ah, apologies. I couldn't recall anything special to report after we shook them off. We asked a merchant for directions during our escape and came straight back to the kingdom."

"I see. You've been through a lot too, Alto."

Phew. What a relief that Alto seems to have kept his promise. It looks my life has been saved.

"That said, I'm impressed you made it back to the kingdom without any money, Alto. It must've been hard."

"Well, I did have my wallet, so we managed to find shared accommodation."

"'Shared accommodation,' huh?"

Alto's careless words cause the icy stares of my friends (approximately four of them) to pierce me. I involuntarily break into a cold cascade of sweat.

...That idiot bastard! How could he thoughtlessly let his tongue slip like that?! Wait, does he think that, as long as he doesn't tell them we're together, he can say whatever he likes?! If you're going to call me your lover, then at least protect me, you idiot!

"Well, Miss Fio? Did you sleep in the same room together? You and Lord Alto?"

"H-h-how inappropriate! The two of you alone, sleeping under the same roof!"

"Hey, you blond-haired bitch. Now how did you get yourself into such a delicious situation? Are you gonna tell me you slept in the same bed? Do you wanna die?"

"...Hehe. Those who get ahead of themselves, die early. Hehe..."

C'mon, seriously. Why does even the gentle Yuri change so drastically when Alto is involved?

...Stay calm. It's too early to panic. I-I-I have a secret weapon. Take a deep breath and plead your innocence.

"Yeah. Alto and I, unfortunately, had to sleep in the same room. During that time, Alto and I talked a lot."

"...And?"

"Let's make a deal. You want to know what kind of girl Alto likes, don't you?"

My secret weapon! Offer up a topic they're likely to be interested in and unsettle them!

"Quite the clichéd defense, but I'll bite. After all, Alto doesn't tell us much about himself... If you cough up information that is actually useful, I'll let you off the hook just this once, blonde-haired bitch."

"I want to know... Tell us, Fio."

Sure enough, they bought it. Alto doesn't usually offer much when it comes to this kind of topic. Thus, it can be said to be precious information.

"...Thank you. Well, even I felt in somewhat of a precarious situation when we shared rooms, so I complained a lot to Alto. And this was his answer to me then."

"Hm. Let's hear it."

...It's not necessarily a lie, so I guess it's okay. Forgive me.

"This would be quite a dangerous situation if you were Root."

"Fio!!! You planned that, you monster!!!"

Even as he rebukes me, the females in the room glare daggers at the man-woman Root.

Verdi and I raise a silent salute to our fallen comrade. All the culprits wear a blank expression on their faces.

The No. 2 of our warrior party, having just finished a long journey, finds himself once again on the run for his life.