Kays Translations

Chapter 5: Old man declines invitation to A-rank party

*Bowing.*

The girl lowered her head.

"May I join you?"

"Yeah, sure. Feel free."

Saying so, the girl bowed and sat across from me.

"Oh, you don't have to be so formal."

I said, to which the girl responded.

"No, um... It's not appropriate to be so casual with someone of higher status."

(That girl, I'd like to brew a tea with her nail scrapings for that leader to drink. He never saw me as anything more than beneath him.)

With such thoughts in mind, I said

"It's okay, I'm not that revered of a person."

The girl bowed her head and introduced herself.

"I am Mashiro, the saint of the A-rank party."

Oh.

A-rank.

A-rank...

"Huh, A-rank?"

"Yes."

I stared blankly, unable to comprehend.

"Why was an A-rank person being attacked by goblins in a place like that?"

"I'm embarrassed to say, but I just arrived in this country today. During the journey, I fell from the carriage and was attacked by goblins without anyone noticing. That's when you came to my rescue."

Pressing her cheeks, she wiggled her body and blushed in embarrassment.

Wow, she's cute, though.

"I'm only an E-rank, so there's no need for an A-rank to talk to me, right? It would be a waste of time, wouldn't it?" 

When I said that, Mashiro said.

"No, that's not true. Ranks don't matter. I want to talk to you because I genuinely want to."

A smile.

She smiled at me.

A bright, sparkling smile.

Then she asked,

"May I ask for your name?"

"Oh, I'm Tatsuya."

"Tatsuya-san, is it? What a wonderful name."

She said with a smile.

I grinned.

Guhh!

This girl's smile is dangerously cute.

And then, being spoken to with such a smile reminded me.

"Hey, old man, pay for your chatting. You're talking with a young person, you know? And she's even calling you by your name? Hey, Tatsuya! Hahaha."

I remembered being told such things at the previous party.

And so, that trauma resurfaced.

"Oh, just so you know, I can't pay for chatting."

"Um, what money? I don't think Tatsuya-san needs to pay for anything."

Mashiro said, covering her mouth.

She had a startled expression.

Then, she rummaged through her item pouch and took out some money.

"It's not much, but it's a token of gratitude."

[100,000 gels]

"One, two, three."

As I counted, Mashiro spoke up.

"It's 100,000."

"T-This much?!"

I had only saved her from goblins. How could it be this much?!

"Yes. I think it's cheap when you consider it as saving my life. I'm sorry, but this is all I have at the moment."

She said that and reached out her hand, then quickly withdrew it to the side in a fluster.

"T-That's absurd! I can't accept this much!"

I tried to push it back, but she said,

"It's just a token of my gratitude."

Smile

When this girl smiled at me, I couldn't say anything.

(Incredibly cute, talking to someone like me and even giving money... Is she an angel or what?)

While being moved to tears inside, I accepted the money.

Then Mashiro said,

"Are you currently part of any party?"

"No, I'm not in one right now."

"Are you freelancing then?"

"Yeah."

After I answered, Mashiro asked,

"If that's the case, would you like to join our party?"

I shook my head.

"No, it's impossible. I'm an E-rank. I can't keep up with your movements. I'm weak, that's why I'm an E-rank. And I'm an old man... right?"

I thought she might grab a tankard and have a drink or something, but suddenly...

Wow

She grasped my hand with both of hers.

"That's not true. You're strong, Tatsuya-san. You helped me today. It takes a kind heart to do what you did."

"It's just basic human decency."

"No, it's not. You're a wonderful person."

(Hmm...)

Feeling like we were going in circles, I decided to cut the conversation short from my end.

"I appreciate the sentiment. But, sorry, I can't join the party. It's not that I don't want to join your party specifically; it's the same for any other party."

"Is there a reason for that?"

She asked, so I decided to explain.

"I'm aiming to be a freelancer."

"A freelancer?"

"Yeah, it's like being an adventurer who operates solo without belonging to a party."

Upon hearing this, Mashiro smiled.

"Can I ask you for a request right away, Tatsuya-san?"

I chuckled and asked,

"Isn't that a bit difficult?"

When I hear that, Mashiro said,

"No, it's an E-rank quest. It's a quest that was sent to our party, but we have other requests and it's tight on time. So, I was thinking of asking Tatsuya-san for it."

*Swoosh.*

Mashiro placed the request form on the desk.

【Golden Apple Harvest】

Reward: 30,000 gel

Difficulty: E-rank

Location: Goblin Forest

And it was written:

"For me? The reward is clearly higher than the market price, isn't it?"

"Yes. Because there's no guild intermediary, we can provide the full reward."

"Seriously?"

*Gulp.*

Swallowing my saliva, I nodded.

"I'll take it."

With that, Mashiro stood up.

"How often do you come to this tavern?"

"Every day, I guess."

"Then, I'll come every day too. I'll hand over the reward upon completing the request."

*Bowing.*

She lowered her head and left with the slip.

It seemed she intended to pay for mine too.

"I'll cover it from my end. Tatsuya-san. Thank you for today."

Left alone, I watched Mashiro leave.

(She's sparkling. She's a creature from a different world than mine.)

Finishing my meal quickly, I decided to leave the tavern.

Just as I was leaving the tavern,

*Thud.*

It seemed I bumped into someone.

"S-Sorry."

I hastily apologized.

But the other person laughed.

"If it isn't you, old man."

It was Ridas.

I moved aside so as not to block the entrance, but Ridas said,

"I'll let you off the hook for today, old man."

"What happened?"

"It's Saint Mashiro. Seeing a refined lady put me in a good mood. She's something, isn't she? I want to team up with her, or at least talk to her. It's probably impossible for an old man like you. If I ever manage to get close to her, I'll send you one of my exes. Well, even my old flames would probably reject you! Gyahaha!"

I thought to myself.

(I've already talked to Mashiro and been invited to join the party, right? On top of that, I've also been asked for a request? Are you jealous?)

Hahaha.

After silently asserting dominance in my mind, I decided to leave the tavern.

Well, well, well. Today, unusually, I was feeling good too.

Perhaps that's why. I decided to ask the leader something I wouldn't normally ask.

"Leader, why didn't you tell me about skills and stuff?"

"Huh? Skills?"

Seems like I was in a good mood too.

I was willing to engage in a conversation.

"What are you talking about, old man?"

"When I leveled up, I gained new skills. And I also received bonus points. I wished you had told me about it if possible."

"Huh??? What nonsense are you spouting? Ugh, pathetic."

With a snort, the leader entered the tavern.

(It seems like he still wants to bother me as usual. He's really unpleasant.)

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