While the preparations for our exams were finalized and Zalena was distracted, I had all of my Companions come and get close to me, hiding in whatever pockets I had available. This was to shorten the ‘mana strings’ between me and them to non-existent and I don’t risk other people having eyes like Zalena and Onelri see how many fairies I had, though I wasn’t sure how effective that method was.

With everything settled, everyone bid us off with the best of luck, some with more concern on their faces than others. Grayson gave us a bit of a time limit to come back to the guild by the end of the day or we’d fail if they end up having to send another party to check on us. Since fairies have a better sense of time than Earth’s radio clocks and we had an S-Rank hunter looking after us though, we didn’t have much to worry about that. The weather was partially cloudy, but still quite warm for a morning in spring, a beautiful day to go on an adventure.

And so, our small party of me, Agnes, Rala, her familiar Flinto, and Zalena departed for Myron Dungeon, going out through one of Brightlas’ exits first to get on the nearest forest’s trail to get there. For the record, Agnes’ Fire Fairy sat on her shoulder, and Zalena’s own four, consisting of Light, Wind, Earth, and Water, hovered close behind her. What made Zalena’s Companions intimidating, in particular, was how they’re all about the same size as Breezy, the biggest of my own harem of fairies. That just meant Zalena’s rank was not just for show. Even if she didn’t have a ‘gift’ enhancing her vision like Onelri did, or didn’t train them with magic to do the same like I did, the magic capacity and power her Companions provided would more than make up the difference needed to see others’ fairies, including my own, whether or not we masked our presence. I think her race being one of the elves, a race who are more inclined to magic than others, also played a part in her capabilities.

Either way, I really had to take Darida’s warning to heart and watch how I perform in front of her. I also needed to talk to Agnes about my current circumstances, but thankfully, she took the initiative as we made our way to the dungeon on foot.

“Soar, do you think we should really trust Ms. Vaxine with this task?” she asked in a whisper. We were both walking behind Zalena, Rala, and Flinto who were directing us to the dungeon’s entrance. It was a considerable distance to where they shouldn’t overhear our conversation.

“We don’t really have much of a choice,” I answered in kind. “No one else was willing to participate and look after us.”

“But Rala said it herself, did she? You are the son of Gullivan Osmis and I am a noble’s daughter. Would it not be in one’s favor to increase their reputation if they looked after us?”

“I think that’s also why they don’t want to. Dad’s a strong, respected adventurer who boasts about his son daily. What would he do to the guy responsible for my safety if something were to happen to me? The same applies to you, more than twofold since your dad’s the knight general of the kingdom. Unless you’re high in rank and confident in your abilities like Ms. Vaxine is, I don’t think anyone would want to risk their hide.”

“I suppose you have a point …”

“Think about it this way: some quests may require more than one hunter party to get the job done, which means they’d have to cooperate with complete strangers, and that isn’t an uncommon occurrence in the field. Ms. Vaxine may not fully support us as she watches our backs, but learning to cooperate with the people we have in the group can also be part of this exam as well. This especially applies to the two of us, the main test-takers.”

“You mean our teamwork as a party will be tested as well as our performance?”

“Right. If you can’t follow instructions and cooperate with others, even if your abilities excel as high as Ms. Vaxine’s, you won’t make good hunter material. You may be more of a threat to those around you than anything … which is why while we’re talking, I want to take this moment to apologize, Agnes.”

“Huh?” Agnes looked over to me, startled.

“For how I was with you yesterday, and especially for what I said to you last, that was uncalled for. No matter what was going on or what I was going through, you didn’t deserve that. I felt uneasy after looking back on it, even more so when you left those things for me, so I ask that you please forgive me and—”

“It’s I who should be begging forgiveness!” Agnes interrupted, startling me then. “I barged in on your special day, thinking how low you are, especially to get Mr. Galveston’s teachings in the sword like some kind of big shot, and how I was going to knock you off your high horse when it was really the reverse that happened! To be defeated not once but twice, both with so much ignorance on my part, I had never felt so humiliated and embarrassed in myself before!

“Y-You had every right to be mad at me, t-to see me as nothing. I was s-so scared … of how I sh-should face you again and I c-couldn’t …” At this point, Agnes couldn’t speak anymore and just started sobbing on the spot, hiding her crying face with an arm.

Oh, boy. This is awkward. Great, now the adults and the cat are staring. “Uh, could we have a moment? She’s a little nervous about this exam,” I lied.

“Oh, yes, take your time. We aren’t in a hurry. Let’s step over here, Zalena.”

“Ehh? But I want in on this.”

“Move.”

At Rala’s urging, she and Flinto pushed Zalena to the side and out of our sight.

I sighed in slight relief before using Dark Space to open up a hole in space and I took a handkerchief out of it. “Here, use this,” I said while holding it out to her.

“Th-Thangu …” Agnes took the handkerchief and wiped the tears from her face before blowing into it.

“So, I think we can both agree that we started off on the wrong foot,” I said while she was occupied. “We both said some things with misperceptions on each other, and now we want to right our wrongs, right?”

“Uh-huh …”

“You definitely did your part with what you left for me yesterday, so let’s do this for my end: have you defeated monsters before?”

“No …”

“Then, I will teach you the best ways to go about them, along with some other hunter skills, and even how to improve your magic capabilities. We’ll do those while getting as far down in the dungeon as we can today, walk out of the guild with upgraded hunter cards, and we can call it good and start fresh as friends. What do you think? You onboard?”

“Y-You want to be friends … with me?” she asked between sniffles while looking over her shoulder.

“Sure, why not?”

Agnes sniffled and wiped what remained on her face with a sleeve before turning back to me. She muttered “sorry” while passing back the used handkerchief, but I shrugged and tossed it back in the Dark Space, making a mental note to clean it later.

“M-May I … make some selfish requests?” she asked while averting her gaze, fidgeting all the while.

“Sure, that’s fine with me.” It’s the least I could do after what I did and all of the stuff she left afterward, I thought.

She cleared her throat, getting some composure back. “Since we live far from each other as friends, I want to keep in touch. At least one letter a month describing how we’re doing, even if it’s menial like what good food we had recently, I want to know about it.”

“Sure, that sounds nice.” So, we’d be like long-term pen pals or something. Kind of wanted an experience like that for a while before the internet was a thing back on Earth, so this ought to be a little fun, right?

“You also have to come to my birthday parties, too, especially next year’s when I turn thirteen. I’ll send a formal invite to you and the others with everything, then. Oh, and I’ll come to yours next year, with much better relations than before, of course.”

Finding a gift for a noble girl is gonna be a bitch, but … “Done. Anything else?”

“Just one more thing …” Agnes took a moment to shift her gaze in various directions as if looking for any unwanted observers. She then took her hands behind her and rocked on her heels with a slight blush on her cheeks. “That … thing yesterday, between you and Fila during the magic demonstrations.”

“Thing? You mean the tutoring?” I asked while tilting to the side.

“Not that, what happened afterward, after she cast a spell successfully … kind of like what you did when you caught me earlier?”

“… Hugging?”

“Y-Yes, that. I-I want to do, that too … with you,” she mumbled at the end while looking down with an even redder face, but I heard her enough.

… I’m not sure how different it is between nobles, but if such a common gesture between girls in any world was weird and awkward enough for Agnes to make a request out of it, I’m now highly concerned about her social capabilities and shouldn’t pry into it.

“It’s a weird request, right? Just forget—”

I wrapped my arms around Agnes before letting her continue further. I felt her body tense up briefly but then relax after a few seconds.

“Is this good?” I muttered.

Agnes entwined her arms around me. “Very.”

“You’re welcome to these anytime. Don’t be a stranger. Okay?”

“… Okay.”

Didn’t think I’d take the initiative like this, but I guess Agnes isn’t so bad after … all. My thoughts fell short just as I was relishing the moment when I saw the adults and the cat watching in from behind a tree. Rala was covering her mouth and gazing at our moment with glimmering eyes as if she was watching a video of kittens and puppies cuddling together; Flinto, getting caught in the act, couldn’t stop himself from snickering and poorly hid it; and Zalena had a mischievous glimmer in her eyes along with that smile, as if she just picked up some good dirt to blackmail us into her teasing moods.

“Oh, no, please, do not mind us~. Continue with your little show, you love fairies~,” Zalena teased.

“Eep!”

Figuring out she was caught, Agnes jumped away from our embrace. Despite her flushed face, she fixed herself and cleared her throat. “R-Right, then. I apologize for holding us up. Let us make haste and complete our exam while there is still light, shall we?”

As Agnes tried to walk naturally on the forest trail, I noticed her Fire Fairy Companion, Flicker, snickering beside her. She voiced her argument as quiet as possible.

That was when I remembered my own Companions who were in my pockets and I heard a collective snicker as I was following Agnes’ lead, ignoring the adult women’s mixed gazes all the while.

<“I see someone’s becoming quite the player~.”> [Shadina]

[Marble]

[Cinder]

[Mist]

[Breezy]

Okay, one, that is not what this is; two, ew, they’re kids; three, I’m an old man in spirit; four, ew, they’re kids; and five, they’re fucking kids if that isn’t completely obvious. Come tease me about this shit again when my body’s at least eighteen years old. I’ll be saving myself up to then and I won’t do it with anyone until they’re that age, either.

End of discussion. Now shut up and let’s focus on the exam.