“Make sure you don’t forget that today’s the final deadline.”
“…Yeah. It’s the end.”
*
“Ugh…”
I woke up, clutching my pounding head, likely a remnant of the dream I’d had.
Finally, the closing ceremony had arrived. The opening ceremony, where we’d rehearsed tirelessly, and the award ceremony had gone off without a hitch. Now, if we could just finish today, the long but enjoyable Celestial Festival would finally come to an end.
However, everyone had been so busy celebrating Anne’s victory late into the night that they were sound asleep, utterly exhausted. Come to think of it, when did I go to sleep last night? My vague memory before fading out suggests that everyone else was still awake, so I must have been the first to drift off. Which is why I seem to be the only one up this morning.
I carefully opened the curtains just a crack so as not to wake my friends still lost in slumberland and stretched while looking out the window at the clear weather outside.
“Uuuuuuhhhhhh!”
Stretching my spine felt amazing, even giving a small satisfying crack.
“…Ugh!”
However, it seems I slept in a bad position. The sudden stretch triggered a sharp pain in my back, causing me to sit down with a small groan.
I’ve been so diligent with my core exercises, yet one bad night’s sleep leaves me struggling with back pain. How frustrating.
Fortunately, after sitting still for a moment, the stiffness eased enough that moving wasn’t too problematic, so I got back up. Though unintended, the back pain did help me wake up completely.
Glancing around the room, it was clear we’d partied hard last night – there were stains on the blankets from drinks spilled in our excitement. Of the blankets not currently covering sleeping friends, I gathered those soiled ones and placed them in the laundry room’s basket.
Next, I picked up empty drink bottles and snack wrappers scattered across the floor, doing a basic cleanup visible at a glance. While finer details could be tackled later, this was sufficient for now.
In the process, I noticed an unexpected thirst today, so I picked up one of the nearby drink bottles that still had some liquid left and took a sip.
“Ptoo!”
What is this? Why is there alcohol here? I’m certain we didn’t have any drinks during last night’s party with friends. Could it be that the reason everyone passed out was because they drank alcohol without me noticing? They weren’t merely caught up in the excitement; they were genuinely drunk?
Last night, the atmosphere was all about eating and drinking, so with everyone’s high spirits, we must have thought it was just a peculiar-tasting beverage – unaware it was alcohol. Now, with an empty mouth, the distinct taste of alcohol is unmistakable. I start to worry – could I have made some mistake or revealed secrets while drinking? But then again, if that were the case, my friends wouldn’t have fallen asleep so unguardedly beside me, and I wouldn’t have woken up fine this morning. So there’s no need to worry.
No matter how I think about it, Selian, Yuli, or Anne wouldn’t have snuck in the alcohol – it must be Linne’s prank. Though I want to say something to Linne, seeing her sleeping on the cloud like a ghost, I decide to save the conversation for another time.
Instead, I gently fetched a clean blanket and covered Anne, who was exposing her belly while scratching it, then quietly opened the door and slipped out of the room so as not to wake my friends.
Though there’s no urgent need to practice today, now that I’m awake, I thought I’d take a light stroll around before returning.
“Hm?”
But as soon as I stepped out of the dormitory building, a sensation came over me. Tingling, tingling!
This sensation – I know what it is. It’s the effect from that contract magic Presia helped set up for me, the “Meow Sensor.”
It’s not anything grand like an official familiar contract, so the effects are muted and the accuracy questionable, but it’s a great way to casually maintain a connection.
Following the rough sense of location, I hurried along and soon found Meow sunbathing on a park bench right in the middle of a sunny patch.
Even from a distance, Meow seemed to sense my approach and was staring at me intently while lying on the bench.
“Hello, Meow!”
I lightly lifted Meow and placed them on my thigh. Rather than resisting, Meow curled up and made themselves comfortable right there on my leg.
“It’s been busy throughout the Celestial Festival, so we haven’t had much chance to see each other. How have you been, Meow?”
“Meow…”
As I slowly stroked from Meow’s head to tail, they responded with a slightly sleepy voice. With the help of the contract magic, this seems to translate to something like, “I’ve been fine, enough about that – keep stroking!”
Putting more effort into it, I pressed down from head to tail, and Meow finally purred, clearly satisfied.
Sitting on the park bench bathed in warm sunlight with a light breeze blowing, feeling Meow’s softness beneath my hands – it’s practically paradise. This must be what heaven feels like.
Meow, too, seemed to have relaxed completely under my touches and had their eyes closed.
At this moment, I couldn’t help but notice Meow’s plump little behind. Taking a quick glance, it seemed like they had completely let their guard down around me.
…It’s my chance. While such opportunities don’t come often, they’re precious when they do.
…
Well… In the end, I got slapped by Meow, but thanks to that, I had some fun. Since the slap was delivered by a paw without any claws extended, I suppose even Meow enjoyed it.
Continuing back to the dormitory after Meow ran away, I unexpectedly ran into someone I hadn’t thought I’d see.
“Hello! Um… That’s right, Ms. Erin, wasn’t it? And this is Ms. Stella.”
“It has been quite some time since we last met under not-so-good circumstances, and yet you still remember. Yes, that’s right, Ms. Alicia.”
“Hello.”
Erin, who offered a light handshake, and Stella, who gave a quick salute by placing and removing her hand on her head, were the investigators who conducted the questioning after the Saint attack incident. Though I don’t know about Erin, I had seen the two of them when I accompanied Presia on a date at the mage shop a few days ago.
I hadn’t approached them then, since they looked busy even during the festival, walking around with serious expressions.
Ah, yeah, that was exactly the same face they had now.
“By any chance… Are you still working?”
“Unfortunately, yes. Damn it, I should just quit this job already.”
“Team leader, if you’re feeling like quitting, I recommend slowly reviewing last month’s budget statement. You’ll suddenly feel motivated.”
“But doesn’t that mean that if I quit, there’ll be no one to serve as your shield? If you ever feel discouraged again, let me know. I’ve plenty of stimulating materials to reignite your motivation.”
“…I’m someone who doesn’t cry easily, but I feel so grateful I might cry.”
“Nothing of the sort. It’s all I’ve learned from you, Team Leader.”
As they answered my question, the two of them continued their banter. Watching them interact as team leader and subordinate, they seem like a perfect match in every way.
“I saw you both at the mage shop a few days ago, and you looked busy too. Is the work still not finished?”
“Huh? How did you know? We’re looking for someone, but they’ve vanished – either ascended into the sky or descended into the earth – we can’t find them at all.”
“Actually, when I came to the mage shop last time, I had some business to attend to there, so I saw you both from afar.”
What must it feel like for the two of you, unable to fully enjoy the festival while still working? Though I empathize with you, I can’t truly understand. All I can do is feel sorry for you both.
“This is embarrassing, showing such a side to you.”
“Don’t worry, Team Leader. Even though you called it an embarrassing moment, it wouldn’t even make the list of embarrassing situations. By the way, your collection of embarrassing moments goes up to BEST 26, so feel free to ask whenever you need.”
“…I’ll take my leave now. Thank you both for your hard work.”
As their conversation resumed, I felt that if I stayed here any longer, I’d surely get dragged into their comic banter, so I quickly excused myself. Fortunately, the two of them only gave me a quick farewell without making things more complicated.
Checking the time after putting some distance between myself and the duo, I realized I’d been out strolling for quite some time. Since I left without saying anything, my friends might be looking for me, so I quickly returned to the dormitory.
However, upon entering the room, Anne was still sleeping soundly wrapped in the blanket on the bed, while Selian and Yuli were already busy cleaning. Selian, it seems, had already washed all the blankets I hadn’t put in the laundry basket, drying them on the clothes rack, and Yuli was collecting the scattered trash into the garbage bag.
“Ah, sorry. I didn’t realize you were already up. I’ll help with the cleaning now. What can I do?”
Though I did a cursory cleanup before the others woke up, it was really just that – cursory. There was still plenty left to do. But thanks to Selian and Yuli’s efforts, there wasn’t much left for me to help with after my walk.
“Ah, no! We’ll take care of it. You, um… just go lie on the bed… or the sofa… no… just, go outside for a bit!”
“Uh, yeah! Since it’s practically cleaned up already! Just… a little. Seriously, just a minute outside will do.”
But the two of them practically shoved me out of the room and slammed the door behind them.
…What? Am I really that much of a cleaning hindrance?
