Breakfast was served as usual at the tavern in Serra. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

When Serra entered the side hall with a hot breakfast in one hand, Alex finally recovered from her low mood - more than half an hour ago, when Serra opened the door of the tavern at the sound of the voice, she saw a dejected posture of a girl who kept muttering the word "breast", God knows what kind of mental blow she suffered.

At this moment, her nose smelled the faint aroma wafting through the air, and Alex tried to pull herself together, shaking her head violently, sealing the image and touch in the depths of her memory forever.

Smack.

Plates of food were placed on the table in front of Alex, crispy bread baked to a yellowish color, a refreshing vegetable salad, and gravy ham and omelette, and this breakfast would have been perfect without the smug face and "Praise me" of the chef standing next to her.

Footsteps came from the hallway outside the side hall, and Alex walked around Serra, who had her face in front of her to assert her presence, and turned her gaze to the young man who walked in with sleepy eyes rubbing his eyes, with the hairy man standing on top of his head.

"It's too slow, Ciel! Didn't you say yesterday that you should wake up early? ”

While complaining, Alex also noticed the direction in which Hill was coming. The boy's room is on the second floor, why did he come from the corridor on the first floor?

Hill's answer made the girl find the answer immediately.

"Because, the master has not let me sleep at night."

“…… Feed! ”

Alex turned her head to look at the tavernkeeper next to her with cold eyes.

"What did you pervert do to my companion?"

"Hey, why are you looking at me like you look at garbage?" Serra put on an innocent look: "We're just playing word solitaire!" ”

“…… Ciel, is that so? ”

Ciel nodded slightly.

"Because the master is unwilling to lose, the thought of the next word shakes me awake."

…… What a troublemaker, with a mind like a child.

“…… yes, that's fine. ”

Alex's hanging heart finally let go, and she stopped staring at Serra with a defensive gaze, and reached out to pick up the bread in front of her.

"By the way, what did Alex-chan think we did?"

At this point, Sierra smiled maliciously and asked loudly in a strange tone.

"Huh!?" Alex, who had just brought the bread to her mouth, was visibly shaken, her face flushed slightly, and she looked cramped: "That, that, the word solitaire...... Something like that? ”

"Uh-huh, I see, thanks Alex-chan for her untimely little joke." For some reason, Sierra turned into the host of a talk show, holding an air microphone in her hand and leaning over Alex's mouth: "So! What is the real idea? ”

"It's all said, it's a word solitaire or something......"

Faced with our question, Alex-chan gave such an insincere reply. Successively making this kind of third-rate pretending to be stupid without any laughter, Alex-chan can be described as quite stubborn. Not paying attention to the cross that gradually appeared on the forehead of the girl next to her, Serra faced the air in front of her, not knowing who she was narrating. Then, she turned around and put the air microphone to the girl's lips again: "Come on! Don't be shy! Say it out loud! Let's meet Alex's brilliant imagination! ”

"I'm annoyed!"

I don't know if it's anger or shame, or both—Alex, blushing, screams and smashes bread in Serra's face. The bread that had just been made and was still warm stuck to it.

Remove the bread from your face and slowly put it in your mouth. After two gentle chews, Serra jerked her eyes open.

"Super delicious! What about the chef!? Call me the chef! ”

"Ha......" The girl hung her shoulders weakly and sighed deeply.

※

Although she didn't want to admit it, Serra's cooking skills were indeed remarkable, and after breakfast, Alex felt that her body's sleepiness was relieved a lot.

After Hill finished his breakfast, the two of them walked out of the tavern after a while.

At this time, he was supposed to report to Partridge about the results of his previous mission, but Alex suggested that he take a detour to the fire on the other side and find the silent blacksmith who was constantly working.

After the previous battle with the giant puppet, Alex's equipment has been slightly worn. The makeshift standard longsword had already curled up its blade in the slash of the puppet's steel body, and although it did not affect its use, the shield was filled with many white scratches.

As agreed, the results were to be reported to confirm that the actual mission was completed, and Hill and Alex would soon be able to set foot on the trip. Although she didn't know when the clues about the enemy would appear, Alex was determined to prepare early.

Besides, whenever you find a blacksmith, it's common sense to replenish the durability of your equipment in time.

The two of them walked quickly, and in a short time, Hill and Alex saw the black stove with smoke, the swarthy man who was still naked, and the little Melly in a lace dress...... There is also "Torotaro", who sits next to him and fans the fire against the stove like a mountain.

The fan in Torotaro's hand is almost as big as Melly's, but it looks like a tiny piece of paper in its huge bear paw. At this moment, the giant bear is supporting its face with its left palm with a bored face, and its right palm is holding the fan and swinging up and down mechanically.

"Ahh It's Brother Hill and Sister Elio! ”

Seeing the two people walking over, Mei Li, who was putting her face behind "Torotaro", waved happily at them.

"This time it's not even the right word count! Who's Elio?,Doesn't I look like a radio wave who wraps myself in a bamboo wheel? ”

Alex complained as she approached Ciel. Hearing their voices, "Torotaro" also yawned and turned his head. When it saw Ciel, it had a kind affection in its eyes.

"Torotaro, why are you here?"

As he stepped forward and stroked the bear's lowered head, Hill gently turned to Melly.

"That...... Because the blower at home was broken, the considerate sister Sierra offered to lend us 'Torotaro'! ”

“…… Anyway, I'm going to ask for a reward later, right? ”

"Report ...... Reward? ”

Melly tilted her head in an incomprehensible expression.

"Either it's possessions, or if you don't have it, you'll probably use it as a threat to covet the beauty of the hostess......"

Alex said affirmatively, with a disdainful expression. Seeing Melly's young but already taking shape as a beauty, Alex suddenly became a little alert.

"Merry-chan, your mother...... Big boobs? ”

…… What am I asking the kids I've only met a few times? Although she thought so, in order to protect Melly's mother, whom she had never met, Alex couldn't care so much at this time.

"I don't know." Melly shook her head vigorously, "I haven't seen my mother." ”

“.…..” Alex was silent for a moment.

Looking at this cute little girl, the guilt and uneasiness in the girl's heart rolled back and forth.

"Yes, I'm sorry! I don't know about it......"

"It's okay, Sister Edward." Melly shook her head: "Although I don't have a mother, I still have a father, and Brother Hill, Sister Shalom and Mr. Torotaro...... Everyone in the town was very nice to me. ”

What a lovely kid! Such a feeling of love instantly filled Alex's chest. Ignoring the fact that Melly had mispronounced her name again, Alex hugged the little girl in front of her tightly.

"Merry-chan, if that pervert named Sierra does anything to you in the future, remember to tell me?"

"Hmm." Although she didn't quite understand, Melly nodded.

After a while, Alex easily opened Melly's petite body. And cast his eyes on the man who was clanging the iron on the side.

Even when a guest came from a meter away, the man focused all his attention on the deformed iron without saying a word, completely oblivious to the situation here.

"That's, Merry-chan. Can this gear be put here first? When your father is done with this, ask him to help me fix it a little. ”

"Hmmm! Leave it to me—"

Melly nodded vigorously.

"So......" Alex looked at Ciel, who was trimming the hair on the top of Torotaro's head, "Ciel, let's go." ”

Hearing Alex's call, Ciel jumped off the top of Torotaro's head, landing a few meters high but holding his foot.

"See you later, then, Merry-chan."

"Brother Hill, Ai What Sister goodbye!"

“.…..”

After leaving the blacksmith's shop, Ciel and Alex made their way to the office building in the center of town. The two places are not far apart, and they can be walked in a few dozen steps.

As soon as they entered the hall on the first floor, they saw a familiar figure coming down the stairs.

It was Thorfer, a member of the Kiss of Death fight who had been slapped in the face by Alex.

Seeing Ciel and Alex, the other party was obviously stunned, but the next moment he walked towards the two with a solemn face.

Hey? What's going on? Does this person still hold a grudge against the past?

Seeing the other party's frivolous face that he had seen before, and walking towards this side with such a serious expression, Alex couldn't help but think crankily.

In Ciel's unwavering and girlish nervousness, Thorfer finally walked up to the two of them and slowly stretched out his left hand.

"Come on, girl, a better tomorrow is waiting for you."

After patting Alex on the shoulder, Thorfer walked out of the building without looking back.

““……””

After a moment of silence, Alex couldn't help but turn her head to look at Ciel.

“…… What does that person mean by what he said? ”

"I don't know." Ciel shook his head slightly.

“…… I don't know what's going on, but I can't say it...... I, encouraged? ”

"It seems, so."

“…… Is it. ”

With this inexplicable complicated feeling in their arms, the two lifted their feet and climbed the stairs in front of them.