Translator: “Kell” Editor: ”Weasalopes”

With the help of Lunsan, Emma and I slayed a ferocious dragon . We then managed to get the top spot in our exam for Hero School . On top of that, we were completely exempted from summer cla.s.ses .

The days went gently by, and now — summer break had arrived!

「Noir! Rise and s.h.i.+ne! It’s morning already!」

Morning of the first day of summer . I could hear my father, who came to wake me up, and my sister talking just outside my door .

「Father, it’s Onii-sama’s summer break starting today . Please let him rest some more . 」

「Oh, is that so? But I want to see Noir’s face before I head out . 」

「Please . Let him rest . 」

「Okay . If you insist . 」

I could tell my father was dejected . I was still sleepy but decided to step out of my room .

「Good morning, Father, Alice . 」

「Oh, Noir! Good morning, my son, son, suns.h.i.+ne!」

「Here’s a good morning hug for you, Onii-sama . 」

Alice swiftly leapt into my arms, rubbing her cheeks against my chest . I stroked her head gently . Her hair, meticulously cared for, was silky smooth . I got LP from doing this too, which was a good thing .

「Nice sibling love . 」

My father spread his arms wide, ready to embrace us, when Alice held up a hand, stopping him .

「It’s our time right now . 」

「When will my time come, then?」

Alice smiled gently, but didn’t answer . He looked wistful, and I could barely hold myself back from laughing .

「Ah, p.u.b.erty . No one even said anything about my suns.h.i.+ne joke . 」

「It was too tough a joke first thing in the morning . You should take it down a notch next time . 」

「I’ll keep that in mind . 」

He seemed to be seriously thinking about a new joke . I went down to the living room and greeted my mother and Toramaru .

「Good morning, Noir . Summer break starts today, right?」

「Yes . But I’ll try not to slack off too much . 」

「Hmm . That is a wonderful att.i.tude to take . Let us do something together while you’re on your break .

「Yeah, we should . 」

I had plans this summer, though not entirely specific . To conquer the hidden dungeon’s 6th floor and up and go on some quests . I’ll focus on these two first . Still, it’s my precious summer break . All work and no play sounds tragic .

「How about going on a trip?」

「A trip, huh? Sounds like a good idea . 」

Alice’s suggestion made me excited . I had a two-month break, so I could go a little ways out of town . I’d like to invite Emma as well .

「I’ll do the ch.o.r.es today . You can all go . 」

「Thanks . I’ll do my best today!」

「Sorry for the trouble . I’m going then!」

「I’m off, Onii-sama . 」

I went outside with Toramaru to see them off then started cleaning once I got back inside . I grabbed a broom while Toramaru was catching some mice .

「They’ve been around for as long as I can remember . 」

「We can’t do anything about it . This house is quite old . 」

「Building a new one sounds good . 」

I saved some money already . I want to save up some more so I can build a new house . That’ll be one of my goals this summer .

After finis.h.i.+ng the ch.o.r.es, I started getting ready . I had plans with Emma to go to the guild .

「Are you coming, Toramaru?」

「I appreciate the invitation, but I have to watch the house . If it bothers you, though, I can come . 」

「It’s quite all right . Okay, then . Thanks . See ya later!」

When Toramaru was in the front yard, you could see him over the fence even from the road outside . There were probably not a lot of thieves who’d dare rob the house upon seeing him .

I made my way to our meeting place . I found Emma walking her usual course; a path with trees evenly s.p.a.ced on both sides . She looked depressed . Emma, who was always full of energy, had a gloomy expression, her eyes downcast .

「Hi, Emma . You seem down in the dumps . 」

「Oh, I didn’t see you there . Sorry . 」

「No, it’s okay . I just got here . Anyway, you don’t look too well . Are you okay?」

「I-I’m fine . It’s nothing… really . 」

She wasn’t speaking straight . I was curious . It was clear something was bothering her but I refrained from pressing the issue further . I decided to just wait until she tells me herself, and we made our way to the guild .

「Noir, have you heard of the Phantom?」

「Not sure . It doesn’t quite ring a bell . 」

「He’s a thief causing trouble in the neighborhood lately . He’s quite infamous . 」

「Ah, yes . I think I’ve heard of him . The one who steals from n.o.bles only, right?」

「Yes, that guy! So about the Phantom…」

Emma stopped, fidgeting her fingers, looking hesitant about something . I was about to tell her she could talk to me about anything, but before I could, she shook her head, then smiled sweetly .

「It’s nothing! Anyway, if you’re free, you wanna come with me to a social party this weekend? Actually, I insist!」

「It’s a party for n.o.bles, right?」

To be honest, I wasn’t interested . Emma’s family were barons who were acknowledged by the other n.o.bles ever since the olden times . But the Stalgia family were not .

A lot of people didn’t see quasi-barons as real n.o.bles . They were rarely invited to parties, and even if they were, they were only met with ridicule .

「I have to dance there . If I didn’t bring anyone with me, I’ll end up dancing with some other boy . If I had to, I’d rather dance with you . 」

「I suck at dancing, though . 」

「I’m not very good at it either . But what’s important is you put your heart into it . 」

「All right . I’ll make some time . 」

「Thank you~! I really love that part of you!」

She embraced me, and didn’t let go for a while . Thanks for the LP .

We arrived at the guild of Odin . A veteran adventurer saw us and started talking to a newbie .

「You’d best remember those faces . They only recently joined, but made it to rank C already . 」

「They don’t look that strong . 」

「You can’t judge a book by its cover . Oh, right . They even took down a dragon the other day . 」

「A dragon?! Someone as cute as her?」

「Stop looking at her face and b.r.e.a.s.t.s . You better not lay a hand on her, or that guy with her, Noir, will kill you . 」

「Eeekk!」

They seemed to be talking about something rather disturbing .

「Would you really kill your compet.i.tion?」 Emma asked, grinning widely .

「People tell me I look like someone who can’t even harm a fly . 」

Anyway, jokes aside . Something felt off with the guild’s atmosphere . My guess was it had something to do with Laursan who didn’t feel like working at all, head on the counter table .

「h.e.l.lo . Did something happen?」

「That voice… Noir? Yeah, something really bad happened . 」

She grabbed my hand, on the verge of tears, then rubbed her cheeks with it .

「All right . Stop right there . 」 Emma said, forcibly separating us .

「What’s your deal? I’m feeling down . Please don’t get in the way . 」

「So why are you feeling down?」

「Well… something was stolen from me . Something important . 」

Laursan bit her lower lips, clearly frustrated, then continued .

「A thief came into my house . 」

「Sorry to hear that . Did he steal your money or something?」

「No, not even a cent . Instead, he took my underwear . 」

「U-Underwear?!」

「What’s worse is he only took my favourites and my lucky ones that I wear only on very special days! The not-so-appealing ones he didn’t bother with… Haaa… I just wanna die . 」

She dropped her forehead on the table and didn’t move . It must’ve been one of those underwear thieves . Women would rather have their money stolen than their underwear, I guess .

Emma chuckled silently, looking delighted . Laursan seemed to sense that .

「What are you laughing about, Emmsan?」 Laura asked, irritated .

「Nothing~ . So they stole your lucky underwear, huh? I’m so sorry to hear that . 」Emma said flatly .

「You sure don’t sound sorry . 」

「I’m sorry . To . Hear that . 」

「Fine, then . I won’t entertain you today . 」

「Do your job, woman!」

「No . 」

She was being stubborn, mood turned sour . Emma, as if not willing to lose, grabbed my arm and dragged me back to the entrance .

「Wait! I didn’t say I won’t entertain Noir-san too!」

「Ahahaha . We’re going somewhere to hang out~ . We’re currently on break too~」

「Oh, yeah?! In that case…」

「Come on, Laurchan . Please do your job . 」

Adventurers were lining up, pleading with her . It looked like she hadn’t even done anything today . Laursan couldn’t say no to them .

「Okay, fine! I swear once I get married, I’m quitting my job as a receptionist!」

On my way out, a thought crossed my mind . Maybe it was the Phantom who stole her underwear? I shook my head . No, that guy only targets n.o.bles .

「All right . We part ways here . 」

「Huh? Aren’t we going somewhere?」

「I uhh… have some matters to think about . 」

「You can talk to me anytime . 」

「Ehehe… you’re so sweet, Noir . If I really need help, I’ll take you up on that . Bye!」

I wasn’t expecting us to part ways so early . The day’s still young . Guess I’ll visit go visit Master or Lunsan .

Translator: “Kell” Editor: ”Weasalopes”.

With the help of Lunsan, Emma and I slayed a ferocious dragon . We then managed to get the top spot in our exam for Hero School . On top of that, we were completely exempted from summer cla.s.ses

The days went gently by, and now — summer break had arrived!.

「Noir! Rise and s.h.i.+ne! It’s morning already!」.

Morning of the first day of summer . I could hear my father, who came to wake me up, and my sister talking just outside my door

「Father, it’s Onii-sama’s summer break starting today . Please let him rest some more . 」.

「Oh, is that so? But I want to see Noir’s face before I head out . 」.

「Please . Let him rest . 」.

「Okay . If you insist . 」.

I could tell my father was dejected . I was still sleepy but decided to step out of my room

「Good morning, Father, Alice . 」.

「Oh, Noir! Good morning, my son, son, suns.h.i.+ne!」.

「Here’s a good morning hug for you, Onii-sama . 」.

Alice swiftly leapt into my arms, rubbing her cheeks against my chest . I stroked her head gently . Her hair, meticulously cared for, was silky smooth . I got LP from doing this too, which was a good thing

「Nice sibling love . 」.

My father spread his arms wide, ready to embrace us, when Alice held up a hand, stopping him

「It’s our time right now . 」.

「When will my time come, then?」.

Alice smiled gently, but didn’t answer . He looked wistful, and I could barely hold myself back from laughing

「Ah, p.u.b.erty . No one even said anything about my suns.h.i.+ne joke . 」.

「It was too tough a joke first thing in the morning . You should take it down a notch next time . 」.

「I’ll keep that in mind . 」.

He seemed to be seriously thinking about a new joke . I went down to the living room and greeted my mother and Toramaru

「Good morning, Noir . Summer break starts today, right?」.

「Yes . But I’ll try not to slack off too much . 」.

「Hmm . That is a wonderful att.i.tude to take . Let us do something together while you’re on your break

「Yeah, we should . 」.

I had plans this summer, though not entirely specific . To conquer the hidden dungeon’s 6th floor and up and go on some quests . I’ll focus on these two first . Still, it’s my precious summer break . All work and no play sounds tragic

「How about going on a trip?」.

「A trip, huh? Sounds like a good idea . 」.

Alice’s suggestion made me excited . I had a two-month break, so I could go a little ways out of town . I’d like to invite Emma as well

「I’ll do the ch.o.r.es today . You can all go . 」.

「Thanks . I’ll do my best today!」.

「Sorry for the trouble . I’m going then!」.

「I’m off, Onii-sama . 」.

I went outside with Toramaru to see them off then started cleaning once I got back inside . I grabbed a broom while Toramaru was catching some mice

「They’ve been around for as long as I can remember . 」.

「We can’t do anything about it . This house is quite old . 」.

「Building a new one sounds good . 」.

I saved some money already . I want to save up some more so I can build a new house . That’ll be one of my goals this summer

After finis.h.i.+ng the ch.o.r.es, I started getting ready . I had plans with Emma to go to the guild

「Are you coming, Toramaru?」.

「I appreciate the invitation, but I have to watch the house . If it bothers you, though, I can come . 」.

「It’s quite all right . Okay, then . Thanks . See ya later!」.

When Toramaru was in the front yard, you could see him over the fence even from the road outside . There were probably not a lot of thieves who’d dare rob the house upon seeing him

I made my way to our meeting place . I found Emma walking her usual course; a path with trees evenly s.p.a.ced on both sides . She looked depressed . Emma, who was always full of energy, had a gloomy expression, her eyes downcast

「Hi, Emma . You seem down in the dumps . 」.

「Oh, I didn’t see you there . Sorry . 」.

「No, it’s okay . I just got here . Anyway, you don’t look too well . Are you okay?」.

「I-I’m fine . It’s nothing… really . 」.

She wasn’t speaking straight . I was curious . It was clear something was bothering her but I refrained from pressing the issue further . I decided to just wait until she tells me herself, and we made our way to the guild

「Noir, have you heard of the Phantom?」.

「Not sure . It doesn’t quite ring a bell . 」.

「He’s a thief causing trouble in the neighborhood lately . He’s quite infamous . 」.

「Ah, yes . I think I’ve heard of him . The one who steals from n.o.bles only, right?」.

「Yes, that guy! So about the Phantom…」.

Emma stopped, fidgeting her fingers, looking hesitant about something . I was about to tell her she could talk to me about anything, but before I could, she shook her head, then smiled sweetly

「It’s nothing! Anyway, if you’re free, you wanna come with me to a social party this weekend? Actually, I insist!」.

「It’s a party for n.o.bles, right?」.

To be honest, I wasn’t interested . Emma’s family were barons who were acknowledged by the other n.o.bles ever since the olden times . But the Stalgia family were not A lot of people didn’t see quasi-barons as real n.o.bles . They were rarely invited to parties, and even if they were, they were only met with ridicule

「I have to dance there . If I didn’t bring anyone with me, I’ll end up dancing with some other boy . If I had to, I’d rather dance with you . 」.

「I suck at dancing, though . 」.

「I’m not very good at it either . But what’s important is you put your heart into it . 」.

「All right . I’ll make some time . 」.

「Thank you~! I really love that part of you!」.

She embraced me, and didn’t let go for a while . Thanks for the LP

We arrived at the guild of Odin . A veteran adventurer saw us and started talking to a newbie

「You’d best remember those faces . They only recently joined, but made it to rank C already . 」.

「They don’t look that strong . 」.

「You can’t judge a book by its cover . Oh, right . They even took down a dragon the other day . 」.

「A dragon?! Someone as cute as her?」.

「Stop looking at her face and b.r.e.a.s.t.s . You better not lay a hand on her, or that guy with her, Noir, will kill you . 」.

「Eeekk!」.

They seemed to be talking about something rather disturbing

「Would you really kill your compet.i.tion?」 Emma asked, grinning widely

「People tell me I look like someone who can’t even harm a fly . 」.

Anyway, jokes aside . Something felt off with the guild’s atmosphere . My guess was it had something to do with Laursan who didn’t feel like working at all, head on the counter table

「h.e.l.lo . Did something happen?」.

「That voice… Noir? Yeah, something really bad happened . 」.

She grabbed my hand, on the verge of tears, then rubbed her cheeks with it

「All right . Stop right there . 」 Emma said, forcibly separating us

「What’s your deal? I’m feeling down . Please don’t get in the way . 」.

「So why are you feeling down?」.

「Well… something was stolen from me . Something important . 」.

Laursan bit her lower lips, clearly frustrated, then continued

「A thief came into my house . 」.

「Sorry to hear that . Did he steal your money or something?」.

「No, not even a cent . Instead, he took my underwear . 」.

「U-Underwear?!」.

「What’s worse is he only took my favourites and my lucky ones that I wear only on very special days! The not-so-appealing ones he didn’t bother with… Haaa… I just wanna die . 」.

She dropped her forehead on the table and didn’t move . It must’ve been one of those underwear thieves . Women would rather have their money stolen than their underwear, I guess

Emma chuckled silently, looking delighted . Laursan seemed to sense that

「What are you laughing about, Emmsan?」 Laura asked, irritated

「Nothing~ . So they stole your lucky underwear, huh? I’m so sorry to hear that . 」Emma said flatly

「You sure don’t sound sorry . 」.

「I’m sorry . To . Hear that . 」.

「Fine, then . I won’t entertain you today . 」.

「Do your job, woman!」.

「No . 」.

She was being stubborn, mood turned sour . Emma, as if not willing to lose, grabbed my arm and dragged me back to the entrance

「Wait! I didn’t say I won’t entertain Noir-san too!」.

「Ahahaha . We’re going somewhere to hang out~ . We’re currently on break too~」.

「Oh, yeah?! In that case…」.

「Come on, Laurchan . Please do your job . 」.

Adventurers were lining up, pleading with her . It looked like she hadn’t even done anything today . Laursan couldn’t say no to them

「Okay, fine! I swear once I get married, I’m quitting my job as a receptionist!」.

On my way out, a thought crossed my mind . Maybe it was the Phantom who stole her underwear? I shook my head . No, that guy only targets n.o.bles

「All right . We part ways here . 」.

「Huh? Aren’t we going somewhere?」.

「I uhh… have some matters to think about . 」.

「You can talk to me anytime . 」.

「Ehehe… you’re so sweet, Noir . If I really need help, I’ll take you up on that . Bye!」.

I wasn’t expecting us to part ways so early . The day’s still young . Guess I’ll visit go visit Master or Lunsan