Chapter 10

"Hey, good morning, Monog."

"Hmm, yeah."

After finishing the preparations, I returned to the room before the meeting, and Rain greeted me with a smile, having already finished getting ready for departure. She threw herself onto my bed.

Incidentally, we each slept in our own beds last night. So, the fact that Rain is now lying on my bed is not a mistake or anything, but a deliberate action. I have no idea what her motive is, though.

"Hey... you know this is my bed, right?"

"It's not Monog's. It's the inn's."

"I don't want to hear your sophistry."

Even though she must know exactly what I mean, Rain faces me with a smile, unashamed.

This guy is probably just teasing me for fun. I wish he would stop that in the morning.

"Huh...? Monog, come here a bit."

"Huh?"

At Rain's beckoning, I approach.

Then, Rain suddenly sits up and grabs my face with both hands.

"What...!?"

"Stay still."

I'm taken aback, but Rain stops me with a serious tone and looks at my face intently.

This guy is still as handsome as ever... long eyelashes...

I can't help but catch my breath at his serious gaze. Even as a guy, I'm captivated. If I were a girl, I would have been completely charmed.

"Monog, is something wrong?"

"Huh?"

"Your expression is stiff. Your complexion isn't good either. It's the look you get when you're brooding."

"Y-You can tell...?"

"Yeah, of course. I'm the leader too. I try to pay attention to you, you know?"

Saying that, Rain gives me a smile that makes me want to roll my eyes, thinking about how many girls he must have charmed.

In a room at the inn, and alone with him... Honestly, I shouldn't be the one here.

"Is something wrong?"

"...A bit of everything."

"Are you not in the mood to talk to me?"

"It's not about you... it's just..."

"Hmm...?"

Rain lets go of my face and pouts a bit.

"I kind of get it. Monog is worried about someone else, not yourself."

"Uh...?"

"Actually, when Monog is worried about himself, it shows more clearly on his face. He mopes around and looks pathetic. It's obvious."

"...Is that so?"

In other words, I must be quite transparent. I've thought before that the Stormbreaker guys are unusually perceptive, but it seems it's more about me being the cause. They say the best way to deceive an enemy is to start with your allies, and the greatest enemy is within, but in this case, it's me.

"Even though I want to force it out of you to clear that expression, I know Monog won't talk about it right now."

"What do you mean?"

"Just what I said. Monog is basically lazy, but he never lets go of what he's holding onto. If Monog says he can't talk about it, I have no choice but to wait until Monog is ready to talk."

While saying this, Rain smiled happily. I don't really understand why he has that expression.

But, as he said, I don't intend to tell Rain about Snow at this point.

Actually, I don't know enough to talk about it yet. If I consult him half-heartedly, it might lead to a misunderstanding, and that would just complicate things and make it more troublesome.

"But, I kind of feel jealous."

"Huh? You can be jealous of me?"

"I'm not jealous of Monog."

Then, of what? I was about to ask, but before I could, Rain stood up from the bed abruptly—

"Ah, it's about time. Let's go, Monog."

He cut off the conversation unilaterally.

I wanted to say the conversation wasn't over, but in reality, it was almost over.

I don't know what Rain was jealous of, but I'm already overwhelmed with the current situation with Snow. Taking on more would be too much.

I stood up without pressing the issue further.

"Oh, by the way, Monog. I heard a rumor the other day—"

We switched to casual conversation and left the room.

He might be dealing with something too, but Rain didn't show any of the obvious signs of worry that I had been pointed out for.