Chapter 13

In the previous chapter, there was an ambiguous expression, so I added the phrase "my share and Yuel's share."

The amount of money given by the guild receptionist, two-thirds of the total, refers to the share of Shiki and Yuel after dividing the material buyback amount.

So, in the previous chapter, we ultimately failed to obtain the slime jelly.

The day after exploring the labyrinth with Ruruka, Yuel and I were in a corner of the Adventurer's Guild.

It was past noon, the time when the buyback counter starts to get crowded.

"Ah, Yuel, can you give me all the materials before we go to the buyback counter?"

Yuel and I had successfully challenged the seventh floor of the labyrinth and defeated the slimes.

With this, we could finally replenish the long-desired slime jelly.

"All the materials?"

"Yeah, until now, we've been selling the materials without even counting them properly, but if we're going to keep exploring the labyrinth, I thought it would be useful to have a reference."

Pure-hearted Yuel might just say, "Give me the slime jelly," without any doubt.

But, what if, years later, she suddenly remembers this.

What if, when Yuel is in a difficult age, she starts to despise me and says, "I don't want to be touched by you, Master!" when I try to pat her head.

I might be so shocked that I end up bedridden.

No, really.

Yuel is cute now.

She's honest, adorable, and affectionate.

But, what will happen when Yuel grows up?

Will she go through a rebellious phase?

Will she dye her hair a bright color and get a tan?

She already has silver hair and a tan.

"Master?"

Turning to her voice, there was Yuel, having taken out all the materials from the item box, tilting her head slightly and looking up at me.

"You're so cute, Yuel."

Those words slipped out naturally.

"Wh-what? C-cute...?"

Yuel, surprised, blushed slightly.

Her eyes darted around, and she fidgeted.

Clearly, she was flustered.

It was a cute, girlish reaction.

...Maybe she's not used to being praised.

Come to think of it, even I, who am closest to her, might not have praised Yuel's appearance much.

I might have only praised her combat skills.

This isn't good.

Yuel is a girl.

If she doesn't get used to being praised from a young age, she might be taken advantage of by a bad guy in the future.

While I don't expect her to become as strong as Ruruka, it's not good for her to have a low self-esteem because of her cute appearance.

"You are cute, Yuel. First, your smile is great. Just looking at your smile makes me feel healed."

"S-such a thing..."

Shaking her head and covering her face with her hands, Yuel's ears were clearly red.

This is fun.

No, she's not used to it.

Not being able to handle praise is dangerous for a girl.

For Yuel's future, I need to praise her more.

"Your hair is so smooth and feels good to touch. It looks shiny, like an angel's halo. Yes, you're as cute as an angel."

"A-a-an angel...?"

Holding her blushing cheek with one hand, Yuel pressed her long silver hair with the other.

She was clearly embarrassed, fidgeting and moving her fingers busily.

This is fun...

I've never had a girl react so positively to my praise before.

No, I haven't.

When I told Elise she had a beautiful face, she responded with a cold expression and a tongue-click.

"Your skin is beautiful too, Yuel. The perfect color, not too dark or too light. I like it, it's healthy. Maybe you should try wearing a skirt next time."

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