Author: Suisei
Translator: Rinkage

Character page: Here

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Chapter 174 – I finished babysitting with my girlfriend

It wasn’t just a simple piggyback ride – it felt more like I was wearing a human-sized doll hat. With Sheik perched on my head, munching on snacks and shouting “Delicious!” I couldn’t help but think, “Come on, get off already.”

When Fiora-chan and Quinn-kun asked for an explanation, he casually claimed we’d just been swatting some annoying flies. Of course, neither of them bought that excuse.

“We were worried about you! You suddenly disappeared… Something must’ve happened with how panicked you were! Now, stop dodging and tell us the truth.”  [Quinn]

Since Sheik was still sitting on my head, they were trying to coax the truth out of him from below.

“Tell us~ We were worried~”  [Fiora]

Meanwhile, Fiora-chan found a spot on my shoulder and climbed up, pressing Sheik for answers. I really wish they’d stop using me as a jungle gym.

“Fufu, Youki-san, you’re quite popular.”  [Cecilia]

“No, no, no, I’m a complete mess right now.”  [Youki]

Crumbs from Sheik’s snacks were falling all over me, and I was getting caught in the middle of their little scuffle. Someone please stop this, seriously.

“If you don’t tell us, I’ll take your snacks~”  [Fiora]

“No way, you already ate while I was gone, Fiora-chan. Here, have this instead~”  [Sheik]

Sheik took advantage of the moment and shoved something into Fiora-chan’s mouth. What did he just feed her? I hoped it was just some nuts.

“Ugh… I swallowed it.”  [Fiora]

“H-Hey, Sheik!?”  [Youki]

“Ahahaha~”  [Sheik]

That’s how Sheik dodged the whole situation. It turned out he gave Fiora-chan some stomach medicine he had concocted. Still, he didn’t reveal that until we were on the carriage back to Minerva. Fiora-chan, who had been terrified, clung to him the entire ride, demanding to know what he made her eat. She later complained that she couldn’t sleep and went home with Quinn-kun. Meanwhile, Sheik looked completely satisfied, which made me worry if he was developing some strange habits at such a young age. As his captain, I couldn’t help but feel concerned about his future.

On another note, with all the chaos, Cecilia and I didn’t get any proper ‘date’ moments that day, which I deeply regret. Since she had plans the next day, I decided to head to the guild to take on some requests. However, an unexpected scene greeted me upon entering the guild.

“Clayman… is actually working properly!?”  [Youki]

“Shut up!”  [Clayman]

There was Clayman, seriously handling paperwork at the counter. The usual lazy vibe of his was nowhere to be found, and instead, he gave off the aura of a competent worker. He was even dressed neatly, with a properly fastened tie and a wrinkle-free jacket. Did the sun rise in the west today?

“Ah, now that you mention it…”  [Youki]

When I took Quinn-kun and Fiora-chan to Cecilia’s place previously, Sophia-san seemed to have rushed off somewhere.

“Ah, so it’s just the usual then.”  [Youki]

“Whatever you’re imagining, yeah, that’s probably it.”  [Clayman]

“So, this is the result.”  [Youki]

“…Apparently, she’s planning to pop in for surprise visits from now on.”  [Clayman]

“Oh, seriously?”  [Youki]

That’s tough. Since Sophia-san is the head maid, they can adjust their schedules a bit if they rotate through their lunch breaks. Not knowing when she’ll show up means you really have to stay on your toes.

“…I can’t make her go back and forth from the mansion to the guild just for lunch breaks. I’ll work seriously. I don’t want to put any more burden on Sophia.”  [Clayman]

“I see… Well, good luck.”  [Youki]

“Yeah, well, it’s not like I wasn’t doing any work before. I was handling my share and doing just enough to keep the guild from going under. But if I actually go all out… the current condition is how it’ll be…”  [Clayman]

“Ah, I get it. That’s why things are like this.”  [Youki]

The guild was busier than usual, which could be seen as a good thing. However, it felt more like a battlefield, given the chaotic nature of everything. Even Sierra-san looked like she was on the verge of tears as she handled the flood of adventurers. It was pure chaos.

“Good grief, she’s always telling me to work harder. I wish she’d toughen up herself.”  [Clayman]

“Is the guild really that swamped? I mean, didn’t you run the entire guild by yourself once? If you get serious, wouldn’t the workload be easier to manage?”  [Youki]

“There’s no end to what increases profit – managing the demon ecosystem research around Minerva, coordinating with other guilds, securing requests, organizing cleanup missions for the failed ones, and handling paperwork for all the adventurers. Sure, I can handle a day’s work easily, but managing the entire guild is a different story.”  [Clayman]

Even while talking to me, he was steadily working through a mountain of paperwork without breaking a sweat. He was also keeping an eye on Sierra-san and the other staff, likely to give precise instructions when needed. No wonder Sierra-san seemed on the brink of tears with more work constantly piling up.

“Hey, Siera. While you’re attending the reception, get started on the paperwork as well. Oh, and when the adventurers settled down, head out. Check with the merchants’ guild if they need any guards or material collection requests.”  [Clayman]

“…Yes, Vice Guildmaster.”  [Sierra]

“…”

After seeing how tough things looked, I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. Clayman had even mobilized his shikigami team, which demonstrated that he was taking the situation seriously. As guilty as I felt for thinking it, I couldn’t believe he was actually working this hard. Sophia-san, what did you say to him?

“What’s with that look? Even I, well, every once in a while, though really rarely, get serious.” [Clayman]

“Don’t talk about yourself like that…”  [Youki]

“Shut up. Anyway, putting that aside, I’ve been wondering about something. The day I left Quinn and Fiora with you, Sophia had a lot to say to me. She told me to ‘read the room’ – and she was pretty firm about it. What does that even mean?”  [Clayman]

“She told you to… read the room?”  [Youki]

I tried to think back: I took the kids and went to the mountain with Cecilia. We joked around and had a great time with them. Nothing specific came to mind.

“Have you noticed any changes recently?”  [Clayman]

“Changes, huh…”  [Youki]

Well, there was one thing, but admitting it out loud felt a little embarrassing. Still, it would be disrespectful to Cecilia to dismiss it.

Cecilia is someone important to me, though I shouldn’t go around announcing that too much. But if it’s Clayman, it’s fine. I didn’t tell Sophia-san directly, but she’s already figured it out.

 “Well, if you don’t want to say, that’s fine.”  [Clayman]

“No, it’s okay as long as you keep it a secret. I found someone important to me, a girlfriend.”  [Youki]

“…I see. So, was that a bad thing?”  [Clayman]

“No, it’s not that at all. It’s just that…”  [Youki]

“As for who it is… well, there’s no need to say it. You never know who could be listening. But that’s great, isn’t it?”  [Clayman]

“Ah, yeah… hahaha…”  [Youki]

I couldn’t help but avert my eyes from Clayman. Come to think of it, Cecilia seemed to have misunderstood that Clayman was fond of maid outfits with cat ears. Clayman’s consideration made me feel bad now. How should I clear the misunderstanding? I could tell her everything, or make it clear that she just had the wrong idea.

“Well, if you’ve got someone important in your life now, you’ve got to work hard too. Now, off you go.”  [Clayman]

He tossed a few request forms in my direction, somehow roping me into these jobs. Hey, hold on a minute.

“C’mon, c’mon, there’s still plenty more work to do!”  [Clayman]

“I-I can’t take it anymore…”  [Sierra]

Hearing Sierra-san’s exhausted cry, I left the guild to take care of the tasks Clayman had dumped on me.

A few days later, Clayman’s motivation suddenly plummeted, and he went back to his usual self. Sierra-san mentioned that most of the guild staff felt relieved when it happened. That’s when I realized – only one person could truly motivate or bring Clayman back to his usual self: Sophia-san. Apparently, she’d told him he was working a bit too hard, which immediately flipped the switch. In the end, Sophia-san was Clayman’s “trigger”.

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