âAlright, itâs a bit early, but letâs go get a drink!ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
After completing the formalities and receiving his rewards, Evan-san said so while stretching.
âTakumi, come with us.â
âN~ what do I doâ¦â
Should I go drinking~ Itâs important to socialize, but can I bring the kids with me there?
âWhat is it, come with us.â
âEvan, you canât be so forceful. He has children with him.â
âAh, right.â
As my reply was ambiguous, Scott-san was reading too much into it.â
âWell, I could go once I leave the twins in someoneâs care, butâ¦â
ââEhh~ââ
âAllen wants to go too~â
âElena too~â
I was thinking of going back to the Ruven mansion and asking Rebecca-san to take care of the kids, but the kids were vehemently against it.
âDidnât want you to return home early so you could see Rebecca-san soon?â
ââCan see Obaa~sama anytime!ââ
Allen and Elena spat out clearly.
Well, even if we come home late tonight, we are sure to see her tomorrow morning.
âOh? What, are you pipsqueaks going too?â
ââGoing~ââ
âAlright, letâs go then.â
ââOh~!ââ
The children and Evan-san had become good friends, so the three of them were about to leave the guild already.
âLet us go too, Takumi-san.â
âRight.â
I started to follow after Scott-san, but Meredith-san stopped me in a hurry.
âO, oi! Wait a moment please!â
âWhat is the matter, Meredith-san? Did something happen to the child?â
The Pastel Rabbit he was holding in one hand was very obedient, but from the way Meredith-san was panicking, I wondered if something had happened to it.
âNo, thatâs not it! Iâm going too!â
âN? Erm⦠for a drink?â
It seems he wasnât talking about Pastel Rabbit.
He had heard that we were going out for a drink and wanted to join us.
âOld man, you finally got hold of what you wanted, so quickly return home.â
âGetting a Pastel Rabbit for that amount of money is making me pained! At least let me buy you a drink!â
âYou donât really have to mind it.â
âNo, butâ¦â
Apparently, he was concerned about the Pastel Rabbitâs minimal request fee.
âOld man, I really think you donât have to mind it so much. This fellow might look like a newcomer, but heâs definitely not one, and he earns way more than you.â
â⦠Evan-san, please stop right there. You thought I was a newcomer!?â
âN? Well, I heard that you just came of age. That usually means that you are a newcomer, right? Well, you canât really be called a newcomer, can you?â
⦠Ah, come to think of it, the rumors said that âSetsunaâ was young, so he probably got the wrong idea of how old I am because of it.
âItâs my fault for not correcting you first, but⦠itâs the truth that I am a relatively new adventurer, but Iâm already over 20 years old, okay?â
âHaah!?â
â⦠Eh?â
Evan-san let out an exaggerated voice of surprise, while Scott-san opened his eyes wide in silence. Was it that unexpected?
âSeriously? You are not joking?â
âI wouldnât say a joke like that.â
âI thought that your speech and conduct were proper, but your appearances suggest you are similar in age to the orphan kids⦠like the fellows from the Black Cat, so I thought the rumors must have been the truth!â
I thought that I was obviously a senior to Kane-kun and his Black Cat party members, but⦠is my self-evaluation different from the evaluation of others?
âWell, letâs stop talking about my age for now. Meredith-san, I donât really need compensation, so letâs see~⦠how old is your daughter, Meredith-san?â
âShe will be seven this yearâ¦â
âThen, please give my children an opportunity to play with your daughter.â
âHuh?â
âThese kids accompany me wherever I go, so they donât have any friends over here. Thatâs why, please let them play together the next time.â
âI, I have no problem with that, butâ¦â
âItâs decided then. I will get back to you soon~â
I decided on a price on my own, forcibly made Meredith-san agree, and quickly moved to the cafeteria attached to the inn where Evan-san and Scott-san were staying.
âHere it is, thank you for waiting.â
When we ordered the recommended dishes and drinks, the drinks were brought out first.
ââ⦠Alcohol.ââ
There were three large glasses of ale and two smaller glasses of fruit water.
However, from the childrenâs perspective, the glasses of fruit water were behind the ale. So when they saw what was placed on the table, the children, who didnât like alcohol, looked disappointed.
ââI hate alcohol.ââ
âThereâs no need for you two to drink it, alright! Rather, you cannot drink it, you two have your fruit water! Itâs over here!â
Evan-san and Scott-san who were watching our exchange chuckled.
âHaha, you hate alcohol?â
âIs not delish~â
âIs bitter~â
âYour impressions suggest that you tried drinking it before.â
âThey had a taste when I had taken my eyes off of them. Even though I had warned them not to do it.â
ââAhahaha~ââ
When I told them what had happened before, Evan-san and Scott-san started laughing and the twins pouted.
ââMuu~ââ
Allen and Elena suddenly rose from their chairs and picked up the glasses with ale.
âAllen, Elena, I donât think you are going to drink, but⦠what are you doing with the ale?â
âââ¦â¦ââ
Then, the twins turned away from us.
âOu? What is it?â
âWhat is it, young lad and lass. Do you need something from us?â
ââWill give to you!ââ
ââââHah?ââââ
Allen and Elena turned towards the adventurers dining at the table next to ours and presented the glasses to them.
âPipsqueaks!? What are you doing!?â
ââNo need for alcohol~ââ
âNonono, thatâs ours, okay!?â
ââI dunno~ââ
Allen and Elena left the ale on the table next to them and returned to their seats as if nothing had happened.
âAllen, Elena, are you trying to get back at them for laughing at you?â
ââN~? I dunno?ââ
Apparently, they hadnât thought of doing this as payback or anything in particular.
âOi, Evan, can we drink this~â
âHahaha, you got your ale confiscated by kids, how funny!â
âShuddup.â
The adventurers at the table next to ours seemed to know Evan-san and Scott-san and they were laughing as hard as they could.
âAh~ you can have that ale.â
âOu, thanks Lilâ bro. We wonât be holding back then.â
I gave them the ales to drink, and ordered another batch.
ââOrdering more alcohol~?ââ
âLook, Evan-san got laughed at too, so itâs fine already, no?â
ââN~ I guess~ââ
The children seemed to be in a good mood and tasted the fruit water with a nonchalant look on their faces.