(See the end of the chapter for notes .)

Chapter Text

Tadano's goodbyes with his parents were average, so let's skip it.

He had a nagging feeling that he needed to hurry. There was no telling what sort of trouble Najimi could get up to on their own, after all. As such, he made use of one of a few mid-tier spells he knew, to dramatically increase his speed: Accelerate. Aside from this, the trip to the guild was average, so let's skip it.

Nearly depleted of mana, clad in a thick suit of heavy iron armor (minus the helmet) and an iron longsword at his waist, he came upon the Itan Adventurer's Guild; one of the main hubs of Itan, the capital city of the Einai Kingdom.

The guild was as stunning as he remembered. It was meticulously crafted by a team of some of the most skilled artisans in the kingdom, after all, and composed almost entirely out of white stone. It resembled a small Victorian castle.

Let's do this. He cracked his knuckles, took a deep breath, and went inside.

The air inside was crisp, and colder than he remembered—not that he was complaining. He was beginning to sweat, thanks to his armor. He sensed a foreboding presence that he couldn't quite place, so he assumed that his... friend(?) was already waiting for him.

The foyer, like most of the other rooms in the guild, was basked in a brilliant, icy blue light coming from the Seren crystals hanging on sconces along the walls. These crystals not only radiated light, but were also a wellspring of mana. Lining the walls were stone benches, and sat in the center, was a single knee-high table made of Elder wood—a hardy, yellowish-white wood. And more benches. Of stone.

There was no sign of Najimi. Is this bad? This is bad, right? Tadano panicked. It wasn't just a dream. It couldn't have been. He had the Divine Perception and his storage blessings as proof. What the hell?... Maybe they're just chilling in the mess hall. That sounds like a Najimi thing to do, right?

He rang the bell sitting atop the counter—which was also made of Elder wood, as one might have guessed—and smiled at the receptionist as one does upon her appearance from a room just behind the counter. He needed to reinstate his status as an adventurer, and ask if any lavender-haired Gods were looking for him. Of course he left out the God bit, so as to not sound like a lunatic. The procedure was average, and she saw nobody fitting that description, so let's skip it.

Once he was done, he proceeded down the corridor on the left, which led to the mess hall. It was silent, which was a bit unexpected given the guild's usual level of activity. The foreboding presence grew closer as he walked. Guess they're in here after all. It gave him chills.

In the mess hall, there was still... no sign of Najimi. There were, however, a number of unfamiliar faces. Tadano didn't stand out, so his arrival went unnoticed. Especially since—as fate(?) would have it—there sat in a corner all to herself, perhaps—no, definitely—the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on. Pale blue skin; smooth, silky hair; big slit eyes... and she smelled nice, too. She was clearly a demon. If her skin didn't give it away, the small horns on her forehead and small, pointy ears certainly did. She was wearing a gorgeous blue and black dress that was laced down the front, and lined with gold. It gave off a regal feel.

Relations with the Demon Continent—named Mellon—were fairly good, but the tension in the room could still be cut with a knife. Everyone in the room admired her... from a safe distance.

With the addition of yet another pair of eyes on her, the young woman was at her limit. She stood up, and coolly walked out of the room right past Tadano without a word—but with what appeared to be an intense glare. In reality, she was terrified.

Nobody dared follow. Nobody except, of course, Tadano.

He could hear the whispers and murmurs erupting into cheers behind him, but he paid it no mind.

The aura that had been nagging at him since he arrived was beginning to make itself clear to him. Fear, insecurity, isolation... loneliness. She needed help in some form or another, that much was certain.

“W-wait,” he called out, keeping his distance. “Are... Are you new here?”

She stopped, but didn't turn around. Her entire body trembled, and a faint, “Ha,” escaped her lips... repeatedly... She wanted to ask [How could you tell?]

Everything clicked. Thanks almost entirely to his Divine Perception, of course. “Are you bad at speaking with others?” he asked, then Panickdano resurfaced. Why the fuck did I even say that? How can that even be possible? She's like an idol.

She turned around and trembled again, violently, without uttering a word.

His heart skipped a beat, and chills ran down his spine again. “... Are- Are you really bad... at speaking...?”

She brought one hand up to her chest and nodded.

“G-give me a moment, please.” Can we possibly communicate somehow? He looked through the list of the items in his storage—thanks to his Divine Perception, which allowed him to bring up a semi-transparent screen for such purposes–-and pulled out a cheap, leather-bound book. The pages were blank. While he was at it, he pulled out a charcoal 'pencil'. “Is... Is writing okay?”

She perked up. Her horns grew a few inches briefly as a result. This was the most social interaction she'd had in a long time, and she was living for it.

Cute. Tadano thought, as she went to town on the book.

[How could you tell that I have trouble speaking to others?] She wrote.

“Eh, well, I just drew a conclusion from how you react to things... I guess?” Oh, her horns went back to normal. “And, uh, is there anyone besides me who knows about this?”

[None.]

“Oh. I see,” Tadano responded. “Then...” Okay, I ran out of things to say already! He lamented his average communication skills. “Oh! Right... Are you new here?” I asked before, but she never answered.

[I was going to join, but I get so nervous when I'm in front of people, and my face tenses up because I get so scared. I couldn't.]

[When I get close to people, they get nervous too and run away from me, some even faint.] She continued.

[And some even knelt down and begged for my forgiveness.] She continued.

[Do people hate me?]

[Wait, no, of course they do. How can they like someone they can't speak with?]

People don't understand her and she doesn't understand people...

[Back in Mellon, I was always alone. It's kind of painful. I'm envious of people who can talk and eat with their friends. I hate it so much, so I did as my mother suggested today and came to the human continent to gain experience.]

[But my voice wouldn't come out. No matter what I did, it just wouldn't. It's as if I lost the ability to speak.]

[I didn't know what to do.]

[How should I speak? And after that, then what?]

[What if they reject me? How can I speak to them again?]

[What if they think I'm boring? How should I smile?]

[What if they don't want to be my friend?]

[What if they flat-out ignore me?]

[What if they think I'm weird?]

[Will I stay like this for the rest of my life?]

[What should I do?]

The pages were rapidly filled one after the other. Tadano had no chance to speak.

His heart was growing heavier by the page. His Divine Perception was a blessing, but he was starting to think of it also a curse. Her emotions radiated from her almost like heat, and simply standing there was beginning to feel like torture. It was taking everything in him to not cry and make things even more awkward for the both of them.

[I wanted to be an adventurer.]

Just trying to join the guild makes her worry that much... She's not an idol, nor a cool, silent-type beauty.

On the surface level, it appeared to Tadano as though she began to hiccup and cry so he pulled a handkerchief out of his storage. “Here, you can use this.” This girl is... just a normal girl.

[No, it's just hiccups.]

!?

After she calmed down, she took a deep breath. It felt like an immense weight was being lifted off her shoulders.

[I can't greet people.]

[Anyone can do it easily, but not me.]

[Expressing happiness, conveying gratitude, talking about past mistakes, discussing studies, small talk about the weather...]

[Anyone can do it, but not me.]

[I'm sorry to have troubled you with all of this.]

[If there's anything I can do for you, I will do it.]

“Eh?” He was happy for some reason. “I-I'm okay... Although, if you're still interested in joining the guild, and if you'd like, we can form a party together. I'm just waiting on a friend(?) to arrive, so until they get here, I can help you register.”

She went pomph, and her horns grew again.

[Please!]

CUTE. Tadano blushed. “O-oh, right! My name is Tadano Hitohito. What is yours?” He laughed nervously and brought his hand to his neck.

[Komi Shouko]

“Komi-san,” Tadano said, partially to himself. He nodded. “So, becoming an adventurer... What is your ultimate goal?”

[Having a hundred friends.] A lofty, long-term goal, to be sure.

Her face tensed up.

[PLEASE DON'T LAUGH.]

“Okay, then, I'm your first friend, and I'll help you get 99 more.”

An even more intense, chaotic mix of emotions suddenly filled the air, and Tadano panicked. “W-w-whoa, forgive me for being so pretentious! I mean, claiming to be your first friend? Pssh! Get real, me!!” He wanted to shrivel up and turn into an ant, because that's how he now felt. Like an ant. Antdano.

[Thank you. Please take care of me.] She held the book over her mouth and looked down. Her face had gone purple.

“Eh?” He was practically like a tomato. A Tadato.

Komi ran.

“Ah! Wait, Komi-san!” He was flustered. More so than he had ever been in his life. This made the whole thing with Kawai-san feel like a cakewalk.

Komi slid to the floor with her back against the wall of the empty foyer, her knees at her chest. She was crying. For real, this time. But they were tears of... joy(?). Her emotions were all over the place. A friend. She finally made a friend after 17 years. But surely he would get tired of her. What would she do then?

Tadano made his way back to the foyer slowly, where he sensed she had stopped. He didn't want to be insensitive while pushing back into her bubble. Thank you, Divine Perception. I was wrong. It's not a curse. It's a blessing, 100%.

“So this is where you went,” Tadano said gently as he sat beside her... two feet away. “...Let me know when you're ready, and we'll get you signed up.”

She nodded.