Just a moment ago.
A cafeteria in Crossroad City.
A place Evangeline frequents, where New Terra food is served with a Southern twist.
"The Crossroad Women's Heroes and Mercenaries Rights Committee, shortened to 'CWHMRC'! Our irregular meeting that we’ve lost count of-!" (TL Note: Dear Lord, help me with this dumbass name...)
Heroes affiliated with the front lines were gathered together.
Evangeline, who had shouted loudly, spread her hand to the side.
"To our female heroes who have graced us with their presence today!"
Waaah...
The female heroes gathered around the table cheered half-heartedly.
"In addition to this, we have special guests! Kuilan, Chain, Hannibal, and Zenis! Applause-!"Clap clap clap clap clap!
At this, the atmosphere among the women brightened up, and they all clapped with happy faces.
Kuilan, Chain, and Zenis didn't look too pleased, but Hannibal, sitting between them, was grinning naively and beaming.
"Aah~ So cute~"
The female heroes shivered in front of Hannibal's pure smile. Their faces melted like ice cream on a summer day.
Watching these external enemies, Zenis narrowed his eyes.
"I brought Hannibal because he wanted to attend, but remember, he's still a minor! No alcohol! No scary stories! No obscene jokes! And no overly sweet things-!"
"So many prohibitions!"
"When are you going to stop babying him! Our Hannibal is almost an adult now!"
"Who said ‘our’ Hannibal! Keep your eyes off my son! Everyone, back off!"
Not paying much attention to his father's fuss, Hannibal happily munched on the snacks laid on the table.
The female heroes kept repeating, "Aah~ So cute~".
"More importantly, we've been having more mixed meetings with men lately..."
Elize, quietly sipping her drink in a corner, carefully asked.
"Isn't it time to drop the 'Women' from the meeting name?"
"Yes. We could just call it CHMRC and have it be a gender-neutral gathering..."
Some female members, hoping to expand male membership, watched cautiously, but Evangeline was resolute.
"No, CWHMRC must remain as it is!"
"Why? Because the name sounds more fierce...?"
"No! It must remain a women’s meeting so that when we plan encounters with other male groups in the future, everyone will participate actively!"
"...!"
Realizing Evangeline's deep intention, the women were moved.
"As expected of Miss Evangeline! The eternal president of CWHMRC!"
"Let's stick together!"
"Go, group dating!"
While the women bonded strongly,
"...Um, the male guests are all listening."
"This is incredibly uncomfortable..."
Kuilan and Chain each threw in a word. Of course, the women didn't pay much attention.
"Men with partners, leave!"
"Kuilan, go to Yun, and Chain, go home with gifts! Your wife must be waiting!"
Kuilan was even more surprised at this.
"What? Chain, you're married?"
"...Didn't I say? I even have a grandchild now."
Chain said calmly, reaching out to grab a snack. His movements, no longer bound by chains, felt awkward.
"Wait, you had a wife, kids, and a grandchild? I had no idea... Hold on. Then why haven't you gone home even once?"
"Because I was kicked out... No one would look kindly on a black mage who neglected home, gambled, and fought."
Chain confessed his unfortunate reality calmly, resting his chin on his hand with a small sigh.
"Well, at least I exchange letters sometimes since I got a decent job here. It's a relief."
"Huh..."
"I'm on the verge of retiring from this job too, though. Heh."
"The lord will take good care of you, you can go back with a hefty retirement fund."
"I wonder if they'll be happy if I return... Maybe I'll just hand over the money and wander again..."
Chain laughed bitterly right after.
"Well, it's a luxury problem. Now that that Nobody fellow is in the grave. I'm still alive..."
The atmosphere rapidly grew somber.
They had held a funeral earlier today, and this meeting was an extension of that memorial.
Evangeline silently placed an empty glass in the middle of the table and poured a drink. It was a drink for comrades who could no longer be with them.
"Come on, let's keep the mourning to the funeral."
Evangeline tried to lift the mood.
"We didn’t gather to be gloomy. Those who have gone wouldn’t want us to be sad."
Evangeline then energetically raised her glass.
"We've got a long road of hardships ahead! Let's eat, drink, and keep our spirits up!"
"Oooooh!"
Following the president’s words, people started eating and drinking.
As usual with such gatherings, each table had its own conversation topics, filled with trivial, idle chatter and laughter.
After a few rounds of toasts, those with low alcohol tolerance began to get tipsy and wobbly.
"Yuuuuuun."
A thoroughly drunk Kuilan sniffled.
"It's morning, wake up..."
"No, it's evening now."
"I brought steamed potatoes, but why can't you eat them? Somehow, I felt lucky today..."
Kuilan cried while eating the potato gnocchi that was served as a side dish. Chain, sitting next to him, got irritated.
"Who poured him so much alcohol?"
"He drank it all by himself. When the president said she'd cover the tab, he just kept going..."
"Heuhuhu. Yuuuuuuuun."
"He looks like a bandit chief, but his alcohol tolerance is weak. Get off me!"
Yun, who had briefly regained consciousness using the sacred relic of the Ariane Kingdom, was still in a coma.
Kuilan visited the Ariane Kingdom’s military camp daily to check on Yun, but her condition showed no improvement.
The female heroes clicked their tongues as they watched the sniffling Kuilan.
"See, you should have accepted her feelings when she first confessed."
"You kept rejecting Yun’s advances, but now that she’s unconscious, you regret it?"
"That’s why relationships are hard... The timing and place have to be right..."
"But I still like seeing someone realize their feelings a bit late and then take care of their partner with such dedication. This kind of coupling is sweet."
"Just nurse her for the same amount of time she courted you! Then Princess Yun will be touched by your devotion and wake up with a sparkle~."
They laughed, scolded, and cheered Kuilan’s romance.
"..."
Junior, who had been watching, slowly sipped her wine.
Noticing Junior’s dark expression, Evangeline asked cautiously.
"Are you okay, Junior?"
"Huh? Ah."
Junior gave a bitter smile.
"It’s just... not easy."
Junior let out a long sigh and twirled the wine glass in her hand.
"Relationships and just the world in general, it’s not easy."
"Really. Why is it so difficult?"
Evangeline and Junior exchanged wry smiles.
Seeing the snacks on the table running low, Evangeline picked up the menu and raised her hand.
"Shall we order more? Excuse me!"
A young waiter, who had been watching Evangeline, quickly approached. Evangeline looked at the menu and pondered.
"What should we get... What haven’t we tried today? Hmm..."
At that moment,
The young waiter, swallowing nervously, cautiously spoke.
"Um, Miss Evangeline,"
"Huh?"
Evangeline looked up at the waiter with curiosity.
"What's the matter? Is there something unavailable on the menu today?"
"Uh, well, actually, I..."
The stammering waiter closed his eyes tightly and,
"I, I, I..."
"I?"
"I like you-!"
Without any warning, he confessed suddenly.
"...?"
The cafeteria fell into silence.
Startled, Evangeline stammered.
"You like? What? Ah, the menu? I like it too, it's delicious-"
"N-no, not that, Miss Evangeline!"
The waiter, face flushed red, stuttered but, realizing there was no turning back, shouted again.
"During the last battle, I stayed in this city and almost died..."
"...?"
"At that time, I decided if I survived, I would confess my feelings. So, I’m just honestly telling you how I feel."
"So, you mean..."
"Yes. I really... like you!"
The waiter, eyes tightly shut, shouted once more.
As a flustered Evangeline stood frozen, the female heroes around them screamed excitedly.
"Kyaaaaaa!"
"It's a confession, a confession!"
"Oh my goodness, this is my first time witnessing a live confession! To see this in this desolate fortress city!"
"Get the popcorn, quick! Hurry-!"
"It's right there on the table in front... Just pick it up..."
As the members of the CWHMRC frantically tossed popcorn around and surrounded the two, Evangeline calmly maintained her composure.
"Excuse me, but do we know each other?"
"No. But..."
The waiter fidgeted.
"You come to this place often..."
Evangeline sighed softly. Well, it was true that she frequented this restaurant the most in Crossroad.
'Now that I think about it, it does seem familiar... I did eat here recently. It was when Hecate came with her hair cut short, and when Lucas, that clueless old man, reacted without any tact.'
Then she remembered the face of this waiter, who had always served her eagerly whenever she visited.
Suddenly, Evangeline clapped her hands and exclaimed,
"Oh, wait. So those five extra dishes you kept giving me, was that...?"
"Yes... I wanted to make a good impression on you..."
The rest of the CWHMRC members broke into a cold sweat.
"Seriously, if you got five extra dishes as a service, you should have realized something was up, President."
"I just thought they were giving away leftovers..."
Evangeline laughed awkwardly.
Thanks to this, the atmosphere at the drinking table heated up, but even though the waiter fidgeting in front of her wasn't particularly unpleasant, there was no reason to accept a confession from someone who was practically a stranger.
How should she gently turn this down...
'Ah.'
At that moment, Evangeline had an epiphany.
In this restaurant, when Lucas saw Hecate's new hairstyle and made a tactless comment back then,
- A knight's hairstyle should be functional. It looks great now, but how about cutting it even shorter next time? If you want, I can shave it for you myself.
At the time, she thought Lucas was incredibly insensitive.
But now, faced with having to reject someone’s feelings herself, she realized.
'He was... indirectly turning her down.'
Telling her not to come any closer.
That he wanted to remain friends.
Lucas had drawn a line with Hecate. As tactfully as possible, while feigning cluelessness...
"..."
Lost in thought, Evangeline didn’t notice the CWHMRC heroes had now targeted the waiter, shaking him up.
"Hey, young man! You’ve got some guts! Hitting on our president, who practically runs this city!"
"Yeah, you've got to have that kind of courage when you're young! But you can't get close to the president without getting through us first!"
"Tell us, what do you like about our president?! Speak up quickly, and maybe we’ll clear a path for you!"
The flustered waiter answered cautiously under their pressing demands.
"Well, she eats everything so deliciously... I found it nice to watch, and as I kept seeing it..."
Everyone was shocked by the unexpected answer.
Fell for her... because she eats well?
"I..."
Evangeline, who had been frozen, murmured softly.
"Do I really eat that much?"
Everyone at the table simultaneously thought,
'Yes...'
--TL Notes--
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at /MattReading