Chapter 54

"Caroline, um, Caroline, do you mind being called by a nickname?"

I ask Caroline.

"Hmm, not really, why?"

"Caroline is a bit long, don't you think? I mean, it's a great name, but sometimes explorers use nicknames for people with long names."

In the first squad, we call Wilks 'Will' and Lucrecia 'Lucre.'

"Is that so? I don't really mind, so it's totally fine. Give me a nice nickname!"

She agreed in a light tone.

(Since it's Caroline, should it be 'Caro'? Hmm, that seems a bit too simple... How about—)

"What about 'Carol'?"

"Oh, Carol! That sounds great! From today, my name is Carol!"

"…No, it's a nickname. Your name is still Caroline."

She seems to like it. That's good.

"Oren! If that's the case, please give me a nickname too!"

Logan looked at me with bright, puppy-like eyes and made the request.

"Your name isn't that long, though."

"Please, somehow! I beg you!"

He kept pushing even when I said it wasn't necessary. Does he really want a nickname that much?

"…How about 'Log'?"

"Log… The name Oren gave me…!"

He murmured it with an expression of deep emotion. No, it's just a nickname, your name hasn't changed…

But if he's that happy, I don't mind.

Sophia watched our exchange with a wistful look.

Being left out must be lonely.

"How about 'Sophie' for Sophia?"

I suddenly suggested, and Sophia looked taken aback.

"I tried to come up with a nickname for Sophia, but it seems a bit too simple. Did you not like it?"

"N-no, not at all! I'm really happy! Sophie… hehe…"

Sophie looked incredibly happy. I'm glad she liked it.

"Then, Oren, I have a request…"

Logan made a proposal.

"No, my name is fine as it is. It's short, and there's no need to abbreviate it."

If I abbreviate my name, it would be 'Or' or 'Ren,' right? I don't like either…

"No, it's not about a nickname, but I'd like to call you 'Master'!"

He proposed with a straight look in his eyes. …He seems serious. Is this really the same Logan? His personality has changed so much…

"Ah! Logan—no, Log, that's not fair! I want to call you 'Master' too!"

"If you want to call me that, go ahead. …Sophie, do you want to call me that too?"

When I asked Sophie,

"N-no, I, I'm fine with just 'Oren.'"

She blushed and looked down, speaking in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"It's totally fine."

This is how the nicknames for each member of the tenth squad were decided.

Next, we should decide on a party name.

It's not urgent, but we should decide on one eventually. From the looks of it, it seems I'll be the one to decide, so I'll start thinking about it now.

Thank you for reading to the end.

I apologize for the shortness. I couldn't find a good place to cut, so the ending is a bit abrupt. Since it's short, I plan to post another chapter today. The posting time is scheduled for 9 PM.

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