Chapter 17

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With Mary accepting my request to take care of Haruka and Sonia’s under the sleeping curse, I don’t have to worry about anything. My plan was perfect as I headed out of the Grand Library alone. Emphasis on “was”.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I asked as I walked on the road to the stables.

“Hey, what’s with the scary face?” Walter asked. “You’ll spoil your pretty looks.”

“Don’t change the subject,” I said.

“Okay, so last night I figured you two would probably leave me behind as you seemed like the type, so I decided to be a little proactive,” Walter explained.

“But how did he sneak up to me and catch me completely unaware in spite of my considerable skills?” I thought. “Or rather, after putting in so much effort, why is he so shameless?”

In spite of my many doubts, I decided not to delve deeper into them.

“The plan has changed since we last met,” I said. “You’re no longer part of it and neither am I talking Haruka and Sonia with me to the northern territories. The situation has changed, you see.”

“You can say that all you want, but I know what you really mean~!” Walter said. “You’re the cautious and careful type. You don’t trust me so you planned to leave me behind and you don’t want to put the others in danger, either, so you’re leaving them here, too.”

I sigh heavily. “I’m already exhausted at the thought of traveling with you in the near future. If you want to pay back your debt so badly, head to the Grand Library and protect Sonia and Haruka from the remnants of your former employer’s organization. That is something you can do instead.”

“Hey, you know that’s not the case,” Walter said.

“Pardon, I don’t believe I understand what you mean?” I lied.

“By now, the rest of the network would have broken up or are all caught up fighting each other in the power vacuum,” he said. “The rest of the criminals in the city are just small fry.”

“And your point is?” I asked.

“There’s no sense in us splitting up,” Walter replied.

“Yes, there is,” I replied. “At the very least, it would be very helpful if you just go away,” I said before I looked up at the brightening sky with an annoyed look on my face.

“Alright, alright, if you’re that insistent, I won’t go with you!” Walter said as he left. “I’ll just go take care of those two as you asked.”

For a while, I could do nothing but stand and stare at him heading towards the Grand Library, my mouth agape. “What the hell was that all about…?” I mutter under my breath.

It’s been a few minutes since I finished breakfast. The Director is now sitting on the sofa, silently looking out the window.

Should I talk about something? Or should I just leave her alone? As someone who struggled with communication, I didn’t know what to do, exactly. The silence felt so awkward, I decided to ask, “Speaking of which, I don’t think I’ve heard your name yet, Director…”

The Director looked at me and said, “Mary.”

“I’m Haruka Nanase, please call me Haruka.”

“Alright,” Mary said before she turned back to the window.

“…”

Yep, this conversation is over.

No, it was over before it started. This woman, Mary, is so silent. Her face is almost completely blank and I can’t get a read of whatever she was thinking. I gave up on the prospect of striking up a conversation and decided to be silent as well.

“…”

“…”

This intentional silence is more difficult than I thought it would be. Even if it hadn’t even been a minute, I was starting to fidget. How long is this going to last?

Suddenly, Mary stood up.

“Ms. M-Mary…?” I asked, nervous.

“…”

Mary did not answer, she just stared at a certain point. The next thing I knew, she pulled open the window and jumped out of it.

“… Huh?!”

As soon as my brain wrapped its head around what just happened, I rushed over to it and looked. Just beyond my sight, there was a crowd of curious onlookers on the main street.

“Huh, Mr. Walter…?!”

In the middle of the crowds, Mary was walking around holding Walter by his collar. He’s clearly struggling to break free, but she’s calm as ever, treating him with all the gravity of a mosquito bite. Honestly, the blank look on her face throughout was a little terrifying.

Mary jumped back in through the window, Walter in tow. Like a straight man in a Japanese comedy duo, I swallowed and said, “Hey, aren’t we on the second floor?” before I asked about Walter.

“He was roaming around outside, I caught him because he seemed suspicious, but he says you know him, Haruka,” Mary explained.

“Roaming around…?” I asked, looking at Walter.

I was sure Walter had gone home after we split up. The plan was to meet up here at noon, so it’s strange he’s here while it was still morning. And how does Walter even know we’re here in the first place? Lilia has her special detection skills, so I doubt we were followed back here.

“Hey, I’m not doing anything suspicious!” Walter said. “She told me to watch over you two.”

“She” probably being Lilia. “She did?” I asked.

To be honest, I’m glad Walter here. The prospect of the near future with just Mary is looking much more pleasant now that I have someone talkative and full of energy. So long as I get Mary’s approval, I’ll never have to suffer in awkward silence again.

“Ms. Mary, is it okay if Mr. Walter stays here with us?” I asked.

Mary silently nodded, and with that, I had my new companions.

TN: As of May 23, the author says that this will resume by the end of June. This chapter was released on May 17.

I will be tackling a different, much larger translation project in the meanwhile, alongside other personal works unrelated to this site.

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