It had been three months since Shinji
had joined <Running Wolves>.
Shinji left the inn in the morning
and walked around the town alone.
He had a goal in mind, but he hadn't
decided what he wanted to buy, so he walked to the commercial district.
He looked around a few stores, but
couldn't find anything he liked. As he walked along, wondering what to do, he
was approached from behind.
「You're up early today, Shinji. I thought
you are sleep in in the morning」
「Hello, Renka. I'm looking for
something today」
Shinji said good morning, and Renka
smiled back. Apparently, three months is enough time for them to get to know
each other, and they had built up enough trust that if they saw each other on
the street, they would call out to each other.
**a
「It's unusual of you. After all,
you're the type of person who decides what to buy before you make a move」
「That's usually the case. But today
I’m going to buy a birthday present for Alvin. It's in one month and four days
from now, right?」
Shinji remembered the birthday he had
been told about during their previous quest. Of course, he remembered not only
Alvin's birthday, but also Milis’ and Renka’s birthday. Because of this repeated
attention to detail, it made a good impression on Shinji. Renka also impressed
by Shinji's willingness to celebrate the birthdays of his friends.
「Yes. Every year on his birthday, we
gathered and have dinner. Maybe we would ask Shinji to join us this year」
「If so, I'd love to. Please told them
about it」
「Fufu, I’m sure they’ll say yes. All
right」
Renka giggled at Shinji's polite
request for permission.
「Are both of them on a date?」
「Yes. They went out from the morning.
As I was free too, I thought I'd go shopping.
「Oh, really? If you're free, I’d
appreciate it if you could accompany me in choosing a present for Alvin. It
would be great if you could give me some advice. Of course, I'll return the
favor」
「Okay. Then lunch will be Shinji's
treat」
「Sure, sure」
It's not the first time the two of
them have gone out together. In the past, there have been many times when Renka
and Shinji would split up to go shopping for a party or to gather information
for a quest, if necessary.
And from that time, Renka had begun
to trust Shinji, who work efficiently for the party, and didn't flirt with her
even when they were alone, and she no longer felt uncomfortable when they were
together.
「So, let's start from there. Have you
decided what you want to buy?」
「I'm thinking of consumables or
something that can be used on a daily basis. Maybe some desserts if we're
having a dinner party」
「I usually bake cakes, but Mil…」
As they talked, Renka led the way and
started walking. Shinji also started walking behind her, matching her pace. He
is one step behind Renka, keeping the distance between them as friends.
* * *
They went to several shops, but could
not find anything good, so they could not decide. In the end, the time is
almost noon.
「Renka, why don't we have lunch first?」
「Okay. Then, let's go to the square
there. There's a stall selling delicious lunches. Also, it's a nice day, so
let's eat outside」
「All right」
When they arrived at the plaza, they
found a good number of people strolling around and chatting. There are a few
couples who seemed to be lovers, and there are only a few places left where
they could sit and eat. In addition, there is a queue at a stall that looked
like a bento shop, and it looked like they wouldn't be able to buy anything
right away.
「I'll save a bench for you, can you go
and buy one for me?」
「...Sure. If I wait for you, I might
get approached」
「Well, it's not easy being a beautiful
woman. Here's my wallet」
Shinji smiled at Renka while he
handed his wallet to Renka, who annoyed at the unpleasant pick-up that could
occur if she waited alone on the bench.
「Two silver coins should cover the
cost. You don't have to hand over your entire wallet」
「I don't think Renka would have a
problem with that, would she?」
「Yes, but... Well, okay」
With Renka's cautious gaze, Shinji is
taken aback by what she is worrying about. When asking someone else, he should
always ask for confirmation in a polite manner, but when he asks a colleague
for a favor, Renka reacts as if she were dumbfounded by his reaction. He's
happy to be trusted, though, on the inside.
Shinji sat down on a bench and looked
over at Renka. When he saw Renka in line, he looked around. The weather is
good, the air ir calm, and there are children running around in the square. As
he is looking at this ordinary scene, he heard Renka's annoyed voice.
He looked in the direction of the
voice and saw that Renka is being picked on by two men. As the bento shop is
some distance away, they must have thought she is alone. Shinji sighed and
walked over to Renka.
「I told you I was with a man」
「Just leave that guy who make the cute
girl like you buy stuff and play with us」
「Yeah, yeah. It'll be more fun with us」
Even though Renka refused, she glared
at the men who blocked her way, but they did not show any sign of concern and
continued to laugh and tangle with her. Renka is carrying a lunch box, so she
couldn't push her way through. The men must have known that.
When Renka's frustration reached its
peak and she opened her mouth to shout, Shinji stood over her to hide her from
the men.
**b
「I'm sorry. She's with me. Can you
refrain from doing that?」
Shinji's face is smiling as he looked
at the men. But his eyes are not smiling at all, and he looked strangely
intimidating, which put the men under pressure. At the same time as the men
opened their mouths to say something back, Shinji increased his magic power and
made it even more intimidating.
The men, who finally understood Shinji's
threat, closed their mouths and walked away quietly. Although they are
swearing, Shinji didn't care about the howling of losers. And so, he just
walked away.
「I didn't think you'd be picked up
even at this distance. Sorry」
「I thought so too, but... thanks.
Thank you for coming before I yelled at them」
Shinji looked back at her and gave
her an apologetic look, but she shook her head and smiled, thinking that Renka
hadn't seen it that way either. And when Renka offered him a lunch box and he
took it, Shinji said.
「Because you look even more beautiful
in plain clothes, they annoyed you. The clothes look great too. But let's
forget about the pick-up and have lunch」
Renka is flustered by Shinji's quick
compliment.
She is thrilled to hear a compliment
from a close friend of the opposite sex, different from the the same gender
Milis. Yes, she is used to being told she was beautiful, but she had never
received a compliment that included fashion before.
Still, Renka decided to cover up the
fact that she felt flattered by the compliment, even though she hated
flirtatious words, so she speaking louder.
「I know, I know! Let's have lunch! The
lunches here are the best!」
「Oh, it's recommended by Renka, after
all. I'm looking forward to it」
Renka could not help but feel that
Shinji's smile, which should be the same as usual, saw through her inner
thoughts. But he didn't make fun of her like Alvin did, so she felt at ease and
headed for the bench with Shinji leading the way.
After a pleasant lunch, they went
back strolling in the town.
However, the afternoon is a little
different from the morning.
Shinji is leading and Renka is
following.
Shinji also walked in step with
Renka. He consulted with Renka about the store clerk and where they are going
as they proceeded.
Renka, who had always led Alvin and
Milis, found it refreshing to be led by him. She is strangely excited by the
sensation of working with a dependable man of the opposite sex, with no one
older than her father around.
In the end, the two of them went
around until the evening, but didn't find anything good. So, Shinji takes Renka
back to her inn. At first Renka refused, saying it that he was in a different
direction, but then she decided to take Shinji's advice to avoid being picked
up. After all, there’s a lot of men who will pick-up a girl to ask them out to
dinner at dusk. And so, after half a day of escorting, Renka felt less
reluctant to rely on Shinji.
「I made you stay with me for a day and
we couldn't decide. I'm sorry about that」
Shinji shook his head with a smile as
Renka apologized with an apologetic look on her face.
「It's okay. I had a great day too」
「Really? I'm glad to hear that」
Renka was relieved to see Shinji's
reassuring smile.
But suddenly, she thought, "Wasn't
I the only one who had fun?". She also thinks it must be hard for Shinji
to deal with someone as unfeminine as Milis.
**c
「Did you have fun, Shinji?」
Renka didn't mean to ask, but the
words slipped out of her mouth. She thought to herself if she had lost her
mind, but that feeling was blown away by Shinji's words.
「Of course. It was fun. Thank you for
today, Renka」
Renka thought, “I'm glad to hear
that”.
「Then, See you tomorrow」
「Yeah, see you again」
With that, Shinji walked away. Renka
watched his back for a while and then went back to her room. Back in her room,
Renka lay down on her bed.
When she thought about it calmly, she
realized that today's shopping trip like a date. Although, she had spent the
morning picking out gifts, but in the afternoon, she had enjoyed spending time
with Shinji. And now, she was feeling a little lonely when they parted...
（No, no, no! It's not like I promised
him a date, so it's no problem! It's not like he was hitting on me!）
She shook her head and jumped out of
bed.
Yes, Shinji looked the same as usual.
He was caring, but still treated her as an equal friend.
For some reason, this bothered Renka.
- Revised on 06/02/2022 -> Fix some words, etc
Edited by Kanaa-senpai
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