There is a tall, handsome guy with jet black hair and brown eyes walking towards us. He's early 30s and well-muscled, is wearing a black tunic and dark brown trousers, and carries a massive broadsword on his back. It looks expensive enough that I'm guessing this guy is the real deal.
His disposition seems kind and non-threatening, and he greets us with a warm smile and a wave as he approaches.
"Hello there, new guild members, my name is Kent! I hate having to say it for recruitment pitches, but I'm the strongest A-ranked adventurer here, and the leader of Elmesia's top ranked party. I know you two are new, but how would you like to join our party? It can be on a trial basis, of course, but pretty much every talented newbie ends up with us!" (Kent)
He is friendly towards us both, and he makes sure to glance at me periodically as he talks. His words also seem to include me, and yet…all his true focus seems to be on Nina. He's being polite, but it's obvious he could care less about whether I join his party. Nina is the one he's after. Truthfully, I don't think that's anything to judge him for. I think I'd do the same in his position. Seems like a nice guy to me.
Before I can decide how I'd like to respond, Nina starts being Nina.
"Fufufu…that's very funny! Why would I ever do something like that and give up my alone time with Mizuki?" (Nina)
As Nina says this, she once again walks up from behind me and places her arms around my neck affectionately. I'm only a couple of inches taller than her, so she's still making eye contact with Kent over my shoulder.
To say that Kent's expression was one of confusion…I honestly think it would be less so if Nina had just recommended a slime to become king of Elmesia. However, he recovers quickly and smiles apologetically.
"Well, I'm very sorry to hear that, of course, but you understand that I had to give it a try. Mizuki, you seem like a lucky guy, and Nina, please do let us know if your priorities ever change. Best of luck to you two!" (Kent)
After that, he casually looks me over for a few seconds. He's smiling, his face is warm and relaxed, but his eyes…don't quite match. It's like they're glinting with a hint of…disgust. Before I can think on it more, Kent turns away with a friendly wave to us. On his way back to his table, he calls out to the rest of the adventurers.
"Sorry everybody, I gave it my best shot, but they said neither of them is joining another party! Leave them alone for a while, okay? Don't go harassing either of them!" (Kent)
A round of dejected groans ring out from the guild hall, but nobody else bothers us. I guess Kent has quite a bit of sway here. Nina detaches from me, and after several more minutes, Melanie returns. She's seemingly back to normal.
"Here you go, Nina, your very own guild card! Guild fees are one silver coin per year, and they must be paid within one month. You'll also find everything you need to know about our guild rules in this handbook. For any other questions, I'm sure Mizuki can answer them, or you can ask me. Best of luck!" (Melanie)
Melanie hands Nina her guild card and handbook, and I go ahead and pay Nina's guild fees. Nina smiles at me, seemingly amused by her guild card. She seems happy, though, so I smile back at her. We both give our thanks and farewells to Melanie, then prepare to leave.
Behind Nina, I notice Kent sitting next to a couple of adventurers, and they all seem to be watching us discreetly. Kent is focusing…on me. He has the same strange look in his eyes as before.
I don't have a good feeling about that. I hope I'm wrong, but even if it's a small chance that I'm not, I'd rather deal with this now.
[Nina…don't react to this message. I believe our display here today might have garnered some unwanted attention. I don't know for sure if it will be hostile in nature yet, but I'd like to find out. I'm going to set a little trap to try and lure them out, and I just need you to play along. They seem to be focused on me, and after seeing your test results, I don't think they'd try anything with you around. So, we'll need to separate briefly. Are you willing to do that for me?] (Mizuki)
Through my connection with Nina, I sense surprise, then agitation, then disappointment. After a few moments, she responds.
[I guess so…it won't take long, will it?] (Nina)
[No, I promise to keep it to within an hour. I'll give you the key to our inn, and you can head back without me. I'll make a big show of it, so they know I'm alone. Also, make sure the receptionist at our inn sees your face when you get there. As soon as I get back to the room, I promise that we'll have that bath, too!] (Mizuki)
At the mention of the bath, I sense her spirits lift considerably.
[Alright, I'll be looking forward to it! Don't make me wait too long, Mizuki!] (Nina)
I smile at her and nod my agreement.
"Alright, Nina, you ready to go?" (Mizuki)
She smiles and nods in response to my question, then we begin walking towards the door. Most of the way there, within clear view of Kent and his friends, I pull out the room key and present it to Nina.
"Hey, Nina, I just remembered that I left some of our gear just inside the forest. Why don't you head to the inn, and I'll pick up the gear and then meet you back in our room? The gates will be closing in the next hour, and I don't want to leave our stuff out here overnight!" (Mizuki)
"Sure thing, Mizuki! Don't be too long!" (Nina)
We wave our very public goodbyes, and I wait a few moments while Nina heads out of the guild. I put the dopiest sucker-looking grin on my face that I can, and I stretch dramatically.
Is this entrapment? Well, yeah, I guess. If they take the bait, though, I'm not going to care. I won't be unfair if it comes to that.