-Vol 5: A New Life-

-Recruiting Chiba(3)-

At an expensive café nearby.

Booking a table for themselves, Kenshin, Joy, and Chiba sat comfortably. The waiter served them all a glass of water. Chiba meanwhile was exchanging looks between Kenshin and Joy with varied emotions depending on the person.

Clearing his throat, Kenshin started.

“Chiba, this is Joy. A friend of mine. Joy, she is Chiba, equally a friend of mine.” It was short, but Kenshin wanted to dispel the weird atmosphere.

“AH! Eh…yes. Hello Mr. Joy. I am Chiba. Nice to meet you.” Flushing red, Chiba greeted back. She seemed a little flurried, probably due to shyness.

“Haha! Calm down. Joy may look like that, he is very kind, you know!” Kenshin joked as he sipped a mouthful of water.

“Huh! What do you mean by ‘look like that’? I look handsome, you know? Bald has become a trend, you know?” Joy raised a voice, taking offense to what Kenshin just said. Then looking at the young girl, he adopted a normal look. With a cordial smile, he spoke, “No need to feel shy. And please call me Joy. From now on we might work together, so you can even call me big brother. Hmm, now that I think about it, Kenshin, you ought to address me as ‘big brother’ too. I am older than you.”

“Huh! Not possible.” Kenshin denied instantly.

“Wa-ait a minute. What do you mean by working together? Kenshin, what did he mean by it?” Chiba asked, looking lost, as she couldn’t catch the flow of the conversation.

“Hmm! That’s why we are here today. Ahem! Chiba, I have a proposal for you.” Kenshin looked serious.

“Gulp! What is that?” surprised at the seriousness of Kenshin, Chiba unconsciously gulped in a mouthful of air. Many thoughts ran wild on her brain as she thought of many possibilities.

“Me and Joy, we have decided to form an official party to hunt higher level dungeons so that we can level up faster. Joy has already surpassed level 100, and I am very close to it. This low-level dungeon could no longer be any help to us. That being said, challenging higher-level dungeons alone is a foolish thing to do. We can always form a temporary party or join other parties, but trust is an issue we should consider. As such, I have decided to make an official party and challenge every dungeon in our country that’s below level 9. So, what do you say? Will you join us?” with a smile, Kenshin asked.

“Huh!” Chiba looks flabbergasted. After that, she took a deep breath and drank a mouthful of water from her glass. Feeling that it was not enough, she emptied the whole glass. Picking up the tissue from the table, she wiped the sides of her mouth before speaking, “Its… Kenshin you are level around level 90. Mr. Joy here has already passed level 100. As for me, I am only level 57. My magic power, my combat strength, my experience, everything falls short in comparison. I am afraid if I agree to your proposal, I might be a burden to you guys instead of helping you.”

Then she sighed. After processing what Kenshin just told her, she was initially very ecstatic and was about to agree. But rationality kicked in. She knew herself and her strength very well. Higher level dungeons were no joke at all. If not careful, their life can be lost. In such a situation, she, whose level and strength both fell short might be a burden to them.

She didn’t want to be a burden to them.

“You see, Chiba. Did you hear what I just said? We are not looking for powerful members, rather trustworthy friends. Power can be cultivated easily, but, gaining trust isn't that easy. So what if you are only level 57? With us helping you, catching up to our level might be sooner than you think.”

“Yeah.” Joy also nodded his head.

“Eh…we-well. I-I…” after listening to this, Chiba was very moved. She wanted to agree as well, but she had to talk with her mom first. If she joins Kenshin’s team, she had to leave here forever. Although she had no qualms about leaving this town, her mom was a different matter.

“How about I talk with mom about this? Just give me a second.”

“Okay. Take your time.” Kenshin smilingly nodded. At that time, the waiter came back with three cups of coffee and placed them on the table. Looking at him, Joy said, “Can you please take this for now and serve when she arrives! She has gone to talk with someone, so…”

“No problem, sir.” With a bow, the waiter took back one cup with him.

After excusing herself, Chiba went towards the restroom. Opening her phone, she gave her mother a call.

The call connected.

“Hello, Mom. What are you doing now?”

“Little Chi, what happened? Why are you calling me, didn’t you went to buy something?” an old but soft voice of a lady was heard from the opposite side.

“Mm. Something came up, and I need your advice. You remember Kenshin I have talked to you about…” after that, she went on and explain what Kenshin had just talked with her about.

“So, what should I do mom?” Chiba asked, her voice sounding very heavy.

“Daughter, before answering, let me ask you this. How do you think of Kenshin and that man Joy?”

“Eh! I think they are a very good person and friendly too. They wouldn’t deceive me.” Chiba answered with surety.

“Then, how do you think about their proposal? Tell me about your own thoughts.” Chiba's mother asked once again, not commenting about her earlier response.

“I…if it was from my carrier's point of view, I don’t think it’s a bad idea to work with them. With the help of a level 100 powerhouse, my safety will be assured. Personally speaking, I don’t know. I talked with Kenshin face to face only once, though we talked through our phone a few times. As for Mr. Joy, I literally met him today. But…my heart is saying to follow them. Something in me tells me that if I work with them, I would never regret…mom, what should I do?”

“Haha…how about work with them for a few times and see how they behave. After that, you can decide whether you want to work with them or not. If you like it, you can register as an official party with them.” Her mom said smoothly.

“But mom, if I work with them for real, we may have to leave this city. I have no qualms about it, but what about you? You have been here for the past 20 years. Wouldn’t that be inconvenient to you?”

“Haha! How can that be inconvenient? So what if I live in this town for 20 years? They say home is where your heart is. My heart is with you, so wherever you go, my home will be there. Don’t worry about this worthless stuff. Besides, your mom didn’t like it here. Especially after you joined that guild. If I can leave this city for a better future of my daughter, how can that cause me any problem? Your mom will support you a hundred percent.”

“Thanks, mom.” Chiba cried a little after listening to her mom talking about such matters, and also became very happy for having such a great mother. Wiping the corner of her eyes, she smiled and cut off the call. Then keeping the phone in her pocket, she walked back to the table.

With a confident smile, she sat down and stare at Kenshin and Joy, who were sporting white mustache due to the coffee’s cream. Suddenly Joy said, “Hmm! You look different. Did talking with your mom cleared your mind?”

“Yeah. It did.” With a smile, she nodded. Seeing her, Joy also smiled and stayed silent. Looking at Kenshin who was looking confused, she smiled and said: “I can agree to your proposal, but I have a condition.”

Placing the cup back on the table, Kenshin leaned forward and asked: “That is?”

Chiba’s smile didn’t falter as she told about the suggestion given to her by her mom.