387. I'm a little happy




 The city of Cyclo, my favorite tavern, Villadièche.

 Elsa, Ena, and Eli.
 The four of us were seated in a corner facing the wall.

 The main reason I came here was to rehabilitate Eri.
 Lately, she's gotten into the wind that she's fine in the dungeon as long as she clings to me, and in places where other adventurers are coming and going, so I went a little further and brought her to the tavern.

 The tavern is twice as noisy as the dungeon.
 He wouldn't leave my lap, but he wasn't frightened any more than he had to be.
 At the end of the day, he clings to me and falls asleep.

 It's a good trend.

'Another year is going to be over, isn't it?

 Elsa murmured sincerely as she tipped her glass.

'Time goes by so fast, doesn't it?'
'Yes, even though I only met Lyota-san just recently.
Hmm, I wonder if it took me rather long to get here?

 It was Ena who spoke, sending a sinking look to Elsa as she said, "I don't know.

'Is that so?'
'Oh, you've grown so much that you don't even know it. Where's that sweet little girl who had her fill of inviting Lyota-san to dinner?

 Ena is like, "Yo, yo, yo," and cries a lie.

'Well, enough about that!
'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but I was here back then - I've only been in Cyclo for a short time, so I didn't have the luxury of knowing what to expect.
'It's not Lyota's fault! Rather, it's ......, so .......

 Goggling, Elsa sips into the glass and mutters something.
 I can't hear what she's saying at all.

 You look at Ena, tilting your head and pointing at Elsa, who is babbling on about her beer.
 Ena beckons you to come over and say a few words, so you lean forward to listen.

'Huw.'
Hi!

 He blew on my ear!

What the f*ck are you doing?
Ha-ha, thank you. Thank you.

 Ena says it in such an inflammatory way that it has a solid heart mark at the end of the word.

'Oh, thank you?'
Well, now that you're here, Lyota, we can have the restaurant we've always wanted. So I'm grateful.
'Oh ...... I see. Then you don't have to blow on it.
Oh, maybe I should have hummed my ears.
That kind of teasing is a bit annoying.
I'm a stiff as ever.

 Ina lets out a sigh and pokes me in the chest with my chest plate.
 She's usually more of a skinny girl like this, but the tendency to do so becomes more and more pronounced when alcohol is involved.

It's a good drink. It's time for me to stop doing this kind of thing.
'What? What's going on, Ena?
Are you going away?

 Me and Elsa are surprised by Ena's meaningful statement.

''Hmmm. It's not like that, it's just that Lyota-san--
'Um! You're Ryota Sato!
Hmm?

 I heard a familiar but slightly upbeat voice in the tavern.
 I turned around to see a young adventurer standing in front of me, still looking a bit juvenile in his face.

 His hands were stuck to the sides of his thighs with his fingers tightly together. You can see the tension in his face for some reason.

''Yeah, but?''
'I knew it! Hey! Do you mind if I shake your hand?
A handshake?

 Suddenly, I thought, what the heck, but the young man's eager eyes pushed me away and I held out my hand timidly.

'Oh, I'm so impressed! I can't believe that Satou-san can shake my hand.
Do you know who I am?
'Of course! He's the first person ever to be based in an agricultural city and be the world's number one taxpayer! It's a dream come true for us!
Oh, really? ...... Us?

 When I looked closer, I noticed that beyond the youngsters, there were a few more people at the table, but they were all looking at me enthusiastically.
 I want to talk to them as much as they do, but I can't find the courage to do so, it seems.

 They can't seem to come from there, so we turn the water on them.

"Is that one of them over there?
Yes!

 I brought up the subject, and my fellow youngsters over there came in droves.

'Um, we're on ...... too.'
Do you mind if I shake your hand?
Yeah.

 I shook hands with all the young people who requested it.
 A group of college students shook hands one after another with the same intensity as if they had suddenly met a celebrity.

 After one handshake, the young people went back to their table.

 When I turned around, I saw that Elsa was impressed and Ena had a prankish smile on her face.

'Here's the thing. You're a celebrity, and it's going to be hard to drink in an open place like this.'

 I chuckled as I connected with the conversation we were having right up until now.

'This is a coincidence--'
Hi. May I have a word with you?
Huh?

 This time his voice was calmer.
 When I turned around, an old man with white hair and wrinkled hair was standing in front of me.

'Satou-san, is it?'
Yes ......
My grandmother is a big fan. Could you sign this for me?

 Saying that, the old man held out a bromide to me.

 It's the "Ryo-sama's Majesty" from Plumbum, a super handsome guy who looks like me when he uses it, who can summon Ryo-sama.
 The old man asked for my signature on it.

''Wow, okay ...... yes.''

 He said it out of the blue, and all I could do was sign my name when I wrote it on the delivery slip anyway.

'Thank you, your grandmother will be happy to see you.'

 The grandfather thanked her with a happy, serene smile and left.

When I turned around, I saw Ena grinning more and more.

'I guess it wasn't a coincidence,'
Mmm.
What's the matter with you? You should know better than to realize that you're a celebrity, Ryota.
I guess so.
Mmm. Not all that bad.
Mmm.

 Honestly ...... well, its .......

...... kinda makes me happy, maybe.

 I was a little embarrassed, but it wasn't a bad feeling, I thought.