Suddenly, a female voice broke through the quiet as Aya Tone savored his inexpensive yet delicious dinner, asking, “Is this seat taken?”
‘?’
Aya Tone’s cheeks were puffed with rice as he looked up, his eyes brimming with confusion.
“Mph-mph, mph.” ‘What do you want, you jerk?’
He then noticed a girl in a long dress standing before him.
By all appearances, she was a student at this very university.
Her face radiated youthfulness, and her eyes held a hint of innocent purity.
She was, without a doubt, a quintessential modern university student.
But…
Aya Tone’s brow furrowed slightly as he glanced beside him; there was no one there.
With numerous empty seats available in the dining hall, why did this girl insist on sitting here?
‘Could she be looking for trouble?’
However, as they were in a public place, he found it difficult to voice his concerns.
“No,” Aya Tone replied indifferently, then ignored the girl.
‘What does it matter to me?’
If she truly was looking for a fight, he, a magical girl, possessed a rudimentary understanding of hand-to-hand combat.
Times had changed!
A mage who couldn’t engage in close combat was hardly a qualified one.
Phew.
Seeing that Aya Tone had not refused, Miao Qingzhu finally exhaled in relief.
She pulled out a chair and settled into it.
Once seated, she finally got a clear look at Aya Tone’s face.
It felt as if something had pierced her heart.
‘He’s just too adorable.’
Miao Qingzhu stared at Aya Tone, her eyes fixated, a blush unconsciously creeping onto her cheeks.
Aya Tone felt the intense gaze and a flicker of displeasure stirred within him.
He looked up and said coldly, “Have you seen enough?”
Miao Qingzhu snapped back to reality, awkwardly scratching her head. “I… I’m sorry.”
Aya Tone frowned, offered no further reply, and resumed eating his meal.
‘Strange woman…’
Miao Qingzhu realized she had been too impulsive.
After all, she and Aya Tone were still strangers, and she needed to leave a better impression.
She had been observing this little girl from outside.
Initially, she had assumed this little girl was a professor’s child.
However, Aya Tone’s unintentional glance upwards had reminded her of someone who was highly unlikely to be found here.
Clinging to her suspicion, she had followed him in.
Now that she had a clear view of his face, she could finally confirm her suspicions.
“Th-that!”
Miao Qingzhu nervously addressed Aya Tone, “Lord Aya Tone, could you possibly give me… Ah!”
A sharp hiss escaped her lips.
Her nervousness had caused her to bite her tongue.
Miao Qingzhu bared her teeth, her contorted expression conveying palpable pain.
Yet, recalling that the silver-haired witch sat before her…
She suppressed the pain and continued to speak.
“Lord Aya Tone, could I trouble you for an autograph?”
She had adored this magical girl, whose every movement exuded cuteness, for a very long time.
She had even joined a dedicated fan club.
Periodically, the club would sell merchandise related to this esteemed individual.
Every single item was incredibly adorable.
As a long-time fan, Miao Qingzhu had purchased every single item without fail.
If she could only get Aya Tone’s personal autograph!
Hee hee hee hee hee~
“Huh?”
Aya Tone’s eyes widened, a piece of green vegetable dangling from his mouth.
For a moment, he even forgot to chew.
‘What on earth?’
****
“Big sis! Could you please stop following me?” Aya Tone halted helplessly.
Seeing him stop, Miao Qingzhu, who had been trailing behind, promptly stepped in front of Aya Tone to inquire about his well-being.
“Lord Aya Tone, it’s getting dark. Would you like me to take you to a hotel?”
Miao Qingzhu vividly recalled the fan club administrator mentioning in their group chat that Aya Tone had a tendency to get lost in unfamiliar places.
When she first encountered Lord Aya Tone, seeing him standing bewildered by the campus path, she presumed he was lost.
This, then, was the perfect opportunity for a loyal fan of ten years like her to show her devotion.
Aya Tone: “…”
Ever since they left the dining hall, this woman had been persistently following him.
He couldn’t shake her off, and even when he scolded her, she merely looked delighted.
She was a pure pervert.
Miao Qingzhu’s particular brand of perversion reminded Aya Tone of certain individuals within the guild.
‘Ugh~’
He found it difficult to deal with such overly familiar and brazen people.
“No need,” he replied coolly, then ignored Miao Qingzhu once more.
He continued on his way, following the direction indicated by his navigation.
‘Go to a hotel? Where would he get the money for a hotel?’
The best outcome for tonight was to spend the night at the Vermillion Bird Guild’s Imperial Capital Branch.
Having slept through the entire afternoon on the plane, he wasn’t feeling sleepy anyway.
He could also check if there were any urgent tasks to handle, earning some extra cash.
Without a bit of money in his pocket, he always felt uneasy.
Miao Qingzhu, despite being rejected, showed no anger, instead sporting an aunt-like smile.
In fact, she found herself more captivated by Aya Tone ahead of her, even as she glanced at her phone.
Just moments before, as she approached Aya Tone, her peripheral vision had “accidentally” caught a glimpse of his phone’s navigation.
‘Vermillion Bird Guild…’
It seemed this little cutie before her was indeed the genuine article.
It was just that his sense of direction seemed rather poor.
Several times, Miao Qingzhu wanted to tell him he was going the wrong way, but then she also wanted to keep watching Aya Tone get lost.
Thus, caught in a tangle of conflicting emotions, the small and the tall figures circled the campus paths repeatedly.
“Tsk, what trash navigation!” Aya Tone exclaimed, hearing “You have deviated from your route” emit from his phone once more.
In a fit of exasperation, he abruptly shut off the navigation on his phone!
‘Surely no one would think I was going to throw my phone away?’
‘No way, right? No way?’
It was incredibly inconvenient to go out without a phone these days.
Just as Aya Tone was about to turn back, he noticed Miao Qingzhu behind him, grinning broadly at him.
“…” →_→
“I’m sorry, I spoke too loudly just now. I apologize.”
Aya Tone considered himself a man capable of both yielding and standing firm; if he made a mistake, he would admit it.
‘Next time, I’ll still dare!’
For now, it was probably best to find someone to lead the way.
Miao Qingzhu covered her mouth, preventing the smile at the corners of her lips from showing.
‘Just as the administrator said, this silly little one is truly adorable.’
“It’s alright, I wasn’t angry anyway.”
Finally, under Miao Qingzhu’s guidance, Aya Tone “arduously” located his destination: the Vermillion Bird Guild (Imperial Capital Branch).
‘┭┮﹏┭┮’
Finally!
After enduring countless hardships, he had finally found his organization.
“Let’s go~” Miao Qingzhu led Aya Tone into the brightly lit interior of the guild.
Dungeons could open without warning, sometimes even in the dead of night.
Consequently, every major guild maintained a night watch to respond to such occurrences.
“Why are you going in?” Aya Tone asked, perplexed, looking at his hand that was being held.
‘What would a university student like her be doing in an adventurer’s guild for no reason?’
Miao Qingzhu turned back, casting a surprised glance at him, and stated, “I’m a member of the guild too, you know.”
As she spoke, she extended a finger to point at the badge on her chest.
–B-rank Intern: Miao Qingzhu.
Above her name, a blazing Vermillion Bird was intricately carved.
‘Oh, well, this is awkward…’
Aya Tone offered a silly grin, hoping to charm his way out of the situation.
‘He couldn’t possibly admit that he hadn’t noticed the badge the entire time, could he?’
Miao Qingzhu: “…”
‘Well, he really didn’t see it, did he?’
As the two entered the guild, they were immediately noticed by the young lady at the front desk.
At this hour, aside from a few night owls coming for quests, hardly anyone else was typically seen.
Moreover, Aya Tone’s peculiar attire made it difficult not to notice him.
“How may I help you two?”