CH 21

The Problem Child of Problem Childs

The girl who called herself Oz is no doubt my former colleague– that is to say, she was an agent of the Organization.

Her bright orange hair was cut short, curling outwards, and her round eyes and innocent-looking facial features give off an impression of liveliness. She only reaches my chest height, and she physically resembles a middle-school student. Actually, I believe she was around that age.

The girl’s appearance hasn’t changed at all.

I know her well– yeah, I know her very well; she’s a problem child.

“Why? What are you…?”

“What’s the matter, 28? Ah, are you nervous because you haven’t seen me in a while?”

“…Please change her.”

“You’re making those jokes again~ I know that you’re really happy~”

Uwah, what a pain…

I really want to murder Oz, who is currently elbowing my side. I was really tempted to hit her, but I barely managed to get my emotions under control. Instead, I talked to Chris, who was still connected to the [Communication Paper].

“Oi, Chris. What is the meaning behind this?”

“Despite what you say, isn’t this exactly what you asked for? Someone with firepower. With 02, I’m sure that most of your difficulties would be solved.”

“That’s, well, indeed true but…shouldn’t you also be concerned about my mental well-being?”

“We’re short-handed here too…It looks like I’m about to get busy, so I’ll end the call here. Until next time, Tweight.”

The communication was cut off in a somewhat crude manner.

Suddenly, my whole body felt heavier. As long as Oz would cooperate, my physical burden would be reduced, but my mental burden would be doubled.

“…For now, Oz, let’s go and introduce you to the target.”

“Ah, you’re going to introduce me already? I thought I’d just be watching for now.”

“Honestly, that’s what I originally wanted to do, but we don’t have the leeway for that now. Since there are two of us escorting now, one of us could stay by Mize’s side while the other one could go and deal with the bandits. I’d like for you to get acquainted with Mize so that it would be fine for either one of us to stay by Mize’s side.”

“Roger that. Though, unlike 28, I’m a people person, so I’m sure I’ll fit in easily.”

“I’ll kill you.”

“It’s true though.”

That may be true, but…this guy really pisses me off.

“When we’re with others, make sure to call me Tweight.”

“Ah, that’s right. I’m still not used to it, so I called you like I did before.”

I’m not sure if she’s just naive or thoughtless…

It’s certainly not a bad idea to have Oz with me, given the current situation. Her strengths make up for my weaknesses. On the other hand, I’ll be having trouble keeping her in check.

“You’re late, Tweight…wait, who’s that girl?”

Back at the Guild’s tavern, Gran sees Oz beside me and asks.

“My former colleague.”

“I’m Oz! Please treat me well!”

Oz greeted with a bright smile.

“When you say colleague, do you mean she’s part of the town janitors? But she seems too young for that…”

“Ahaha! Well, our workplace is strange in the sense that there’s people of all ages. So, well, let’s just leave it at that–”

Oz looks at my schoolmates and says:

“– If you don’t mind, would you accept me as your comrade?”

Gran, Elysia, and Mize’s eyes grew wide at the suggestion.

I also understand that her proposal was sudden, so I’ll give an additional explanation.

“Recently, Oz moved out of the company dormitories and started living on her own. Because of that, she has to spend more money than before. So, when I heard that she was considering registering at the Guild…I suggested that, since this was a good opportunity, we could take on commissions together. I don’t want to force you guys, but…I can guarantee that her fighting power will be an asset to us.”

“I see, so that’s the case…Isn’t it fine? Since Tweight introduced her to us, she doesn’t seem like a bad guy.”

“I don’t see a problem with it either. Having more people with us means that we can do more things.”

Gran and Elysia were quick to agree.

Then, Mize nodded.

“I also don’t have any problems with it. One of the best parts about being an adventurer is making new connections…I look forward to working with you, Oz-san!”

“Yup! Everyone, please take care of me!”

Afterwards, our dinner resumed with the addition of Oz, and the five of us deepened our friendship.

Oz, the self-proclaimed people person, quickly adjusted to the group. Unlike me, who is still being called a “suspicious guy” by Elysia.

“Well, I’m a bit curious about the ability that Tweight himself guarantees.”

“Mm-hmm~. I guess you’ll just have to look forward to it.”

While continuing her meal, Oz replies to Elysia’s words with a fearless smile.

Unlike me, Oz’s fighting style is flashy. Perhaps the three of them will be surprised.

Author’s Note:

Sorry, this chapter did not have much progression, but it is getting a bit long, so I’ll cut it off here.

The next chapter will be an update on present condition of 28 and 02, etc.

At last– we have reached 100000 points!

And it’s on the cumulative ranking! Thank you so much for your support up to this point!