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/End of flashback/
"Sigh…"
'Things were so great… Why did this weirdo have to appear?'
With her back now turned to Fray, she could let her expression relax as it distorted a little, showing her displeasure in full.
The only reason why she wasn't fully showing how she felt was due to the fact she didn't want to create enmity between the Village and some of the newcomers for something this petty.
But her patience was being tested today in ways she never once thought possible.
'... I was resting after applying first aid to the Karkavan warrior, just waiting for him to wake up since Dale asked me to notify him of that.'
'And then, perhaps I would've been able to talk a bit more with him...'
'But this guy showed up midway through, almost barging through my door due to how insistent he was.'
'I can't say I was angered by that, as I thought meeting new people couldn't be that bad...'
'I was incredibly wrong, there are some people one shouldn't even approach.'
'In the end, a somewhat good day was ruined just like that... It would've been a perfect one if not for that Earthquake, some potion bottles fell on the ground due to it...'
'It was a pain to clean it all.'
She glanced back slightly, but for her utter despair, that man was still there in deep thought as he laid his back against the wall.
'Why was he still there?!' She asked herself in her head
Perhaps that is a question only Fray would be able to answer.
"Sigh..."
'At first, he was okay, he was formal and polite, saying who he was and where he was from, also giving me a decent reason to be here, saying he was visiting the town and saying hello to the residents…'
'If he had left there, I would've honestly believed that he was a nice and respectful individual.'
'A young man that was here merely to greet me and that was that, end of the story.'
'If he had come some other day to ask me the same things he asked me earlier... My response would've been completely different.'
'If only he had been... Patience.'
'Because the longer he stayed, the fewer reasons he had for being here.'
'Yet somehow, he never left, always finding some sort of excuse to prolong his already overly long stay despite me giving him several good reasons to step out.'
'Still, I'm glad he stayed, because that allowed me to learn the sort of scum he is.'
'Now he just stays there, and I'm already way over my comfort zone.'
'And this strange feeling started to rise on my chest…'
'Just what does he truly want? He couldn't have been here simply for greeting, that was merely an excuse, one he never touched upon after we introduced ourselves...'
'I thought this to myself several times in my unending boredom...'
'But it became clear soon enough… Just as soon as I mentioned Dale that is.'
'At first, he was distant, asking about our Elders, who they were, and what they did...'
'But he just wanted a reason to single out Dale, since compared to the other Elders, Dale was indeed an exception, and that was everything he needed, to see how everyone else was and then ask the big "why".'
'Why was Dale the exception?...'
'Simple really, it wasn't a secret, everyone knew what Dale did.'
'So I started to share the story with him...'
'He started being understanding, trying to agree that Dale's actions so far had been for our greater good.'
'But then, he started to switch to a more doubtful approach, asking me if I was sure, and then comparing it to some famous person from up North… As if I cared or knew who they were.'
She closed her eyes, releasing another turbid breath...
'Yet he did have some right, after all, he isn't from here, being doubtful is okay… But to such a degree? To question me time and time again? Just who is he to give us advice?'
'I don't know how they live in the North, but everyone there must be Legends given how "knowledgeable" a young man like he is.'
'Either that... Or everyone in there is failure to the point Dale's actions become Mythical... Heh.'
She shook her head, she can't generalize the people just because of a single annoyance.
'Anyway, he then became skeptical, not believing my words or what he heard before coming here…'
'In fact, I have an inkling he did believe me, but he refused to, not because he couldn't take it, but because he simply had another reason in mind, he just needed a reason.'
'I have a trace of suspicion that he is frustrated with something and that he came here to complain… As if I was his mom to hear his ramblings...'
'But that wasn't the end of him, despite all of that, all of this was his build-up for something…'
'And then, if everything he did wasn't rude enough, he started to be straight out disrespectful of him, despite never meeting Dale before.'
'It really bothered me, the way he talked and acted as if he was somehow superior or that his meaningless position in an organization I care very little about mattered or that it somehow justified his actions towards him.'
'As if he was some sort of Master that can dictate what is right and wrong...'
'Don't get me wrong, Uncle Misgurd is very dear to me and I care deeply about him, but I care more about him as an individual than his position in this 'Guild' that never really did anything for us.'
'All these years, it was my uncle, Misgurd, acting, not Misgurd, the Branch Head Master.'
'It was also at that point that I became assured of his reasons, he was here to meet me because of my connection to Dale, not to meet me out of formality.'
'But the why...'
Her expression turned dark.
'He wants to sour our relationship by changing my own opinion of Dale, wanting to turn me against him for some reason.'
Her grasp over the beaker started to tighten...
'And from the moment I understood that, it was the moment I lost all interest in him.'
'From that point onwards, I just wanted him to leave me alone.'
'If there was any room for redemption and that he was just an overly skeptical douch that doesn't know where to stop rambling... Now that chance is over.'
'But who am I? I am an adult woman, not some kid, this level of annoyance is more than tolerable...'
'Instead of making everyone's relationship with the Mercenary Guild sour over this bastard's actions, I choose to remain quiet and let him leave after he had his full.'
'Since once he does so, he won't have the chance to meet me again anytime soon, because the first thing I'll do after this green monster wakes up is complain to Uncle.'
'And after that... I even lost my mood to talk with Dale... Sigh...'
She put her beaker down before she injured herself.
Simply put, Yumi's thoughts could be summarized in a simple phrase:
I-Do-not-want-to-meet-him-again.
'If Uncle can't understand something as basic as this, then he can't blame me if I take some more… Severe actions next time.'
'And the Gods may protect his soul if he does tries to fight back.'
'Because I won't be the only one raising my hands in protest.'
Yumi continued to tinker away with her beakers and kettles, waiting for the annoyance to go away.
"..."
Fray, of course, understood right away that he was being ignored, that he had severely overextended his stay.
He had a name for this sort of situation, he called it, a 'Lying Apple'.
Sweet on the outside, bitter on the inside.
A total fail, this was what he had currently achieved.
'Heh, it has been a while since I saw someone like her… A long time since I was refused so thoroughly even after having a lot of prep time.'
'Albeit, I must say, I took quite the risk there, poking the hornet's nest time and time again instead of leaving while I was still on top…'
'Nevertheless, I couldn't let it be, I needed to know her opinion of… The man called Dale.'
'But now… She's completely against me.'
'Although… This is not a bad situation, I've determined her position, she's just like the others...'
He bit his lips, his eyes sharpening.
'Why is everyone so damn into this guy?!'
He clenched his fists.
'Whatever, I'll see him for myself soon enough.'
'A guy that did sooooo much… I truly want to meet such a great dude!'
'Someone like him must be truly incredible.' He thought ironically as his expression changed
'Fought this… Thought of that… Helped them with this… Did that… Dale is truly an amazing guy...'
'His d!ck must be hu~ge.'
'Humph... Wait a bit lady, I'll…'
/Creak…/
But midway through his delusional thoughts, the door behind him opened.
…
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Notes
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