v2 Chapter 13: Our Way

The next morning, Haru woke up feeling astonishingly refreshed. It was probably because her injuries no longer hurt. Maybe it was because she had eaten a proper meal for the first time in a long while.

But the biggest reason was hope.

She no longer had to endure until she turned twenty. The thought of spending seven more years in that life had drained all her energy. But now, people she actually felt comfortable around—despite being naturally shy—had come to take her away.

Was this a dream?

Her shoulder no longer hurt, but what if she opened the door and found that everything from yesterday had been a lie?

Heart pounding, Haru stepped out of her room and hesitantly opened the door.

"Yo, good morning, Miharu."

"G-Good morning?"

The man who had caught her when she stumbled yesterday was leaning casually against the wall.

"I’m Leon. I forgot to introduce myself yesterday."

That’s right—other than Shou, there was the master healer, um... Falco, Dred, the pretty lady, and this light-haired man.

Haru’s face turned red. She had thrown a fit about not being called Haru, yet she hadn’t even bothered learning their names.

"Um… I’m Haru. Leon-san..."

"Leon."

"Huh?"

"Not Leon-san. Just Leon."

"But, um..."

"Shou calls Falco by his name too, right? We’ll be living together from now on, so just call me Leon."

Living together.

Oh, right.

She had been the one to ask, saying she could cook and clean.

How selfish was that?

Feeling overwhelmed, Haru barely had time to process before Leon pushed further.

"Leon."

"L-Leon."

"That’s right. Good girl."

Leon ruffled her hair, then spread his arms.

"Alright, let’s go eat."

A question mark popped into Haru’s head.

"I can walk by myself, you know."

"Huh? Shou always gets carried by Falco like this too. Look."

What?

Shou?

Haru had thought Shou was the type to insist on walking herself.

"See?"

Maybe this was just how things worked in Deep Forest.

Haru hesitated, swaying slightly as she considered stepping forward—

"No, that’s not a thing."

Shou’s voice cut through.

"Shou!"

"Morning, Miharu. How do you feel?"

"It doesn’t hurt at all! Thank you!"

Shou smiled warmly at Haru’s obvious joy, but then her expression turned serious.

"Also."

"Hm?"

Shou glared at Leon.

"Those guys will try to pick you up and put you on their laps at every opportunity. Be careful."

"But Leon said you—"

"No way, that’s not—ah!"

Shou was smoothly scooped up by Falco. His hunter’s strength made carrying a thirteen-year-old look effortless. Reflexively, Shou clung to him for balance.

"Falco..."

"Once in a while is fine, right?"

Haru, watching in disbelief, found herself being lifted by Leon in the same manner.

"Huh?"

"Alright, let’s go eat."

"Yeah."

Atop their usual perches, Shou raised her eyebrows at Haru with a resigned look.

Haru burst into laughter.

"Yeah, just keep laughing like that."

"Leon-san."

"Leon."

"Leon."

"...Good."

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Just keep laughing like a kid should."

Haru blinked in confusion while Leon looked pleased.

Shou whispered to Falco.

"Hey, how does Leon look to you?"

"Like a lovesick fool. Pathetic."

"That’s the usual Falco, then."

"I’m not that pathetic."

"You totally are."

"I’m not! And besides—"

Falco glanced at her.

"Other people are other people. Our family is our family."

"Leon and Haru are our family."

Shou huffed, but Falco refused to respond.

Still, before entering the dining hall, they both managed to get themselves put down.

They ate breakfast together peacefully.

"Today, I plan to visit the various churches in town."

The master healer laid out his plan.

"And tomorrow, I’ll formally discuss taking Haru with the academy headmaster. We’ll leave the day after."

"That sounds best. Honestly, I’d like you to do it today, but checking the churches is very helpful as well."

Linus bowed his head.

"Master Sain, I have a request."

Shou approached him.

"What is it, Shou? You shouldn’t draw attention to yourself, but feel free to explore town while we’re here."

"That’s not it. It’s about Haru."

"Haru?"

Both the master healer and Haru tilted their heads.

"I was wondering why Haru had never eaten swamp grapes before. Haru, in the past three years, how did you manage money?"

"Money? I didn’t have any."

"You didn’t have any?"

Linus was speechless.

"The academy provides clothes if you request them, there’s food in the dining hall, and we could bathe regularly. I couldn’t buy things I wanted, but I didn’t really go into town much anyway. I was just looking forward to turning twenty."

Haru smiled as she explained.

"Now I’m going to hunt slimes with Shou and buy snacks!"

Unlike yesterday, she was now thinking about the future.

Shou quietly asked,

"Miharu, how often did you go on hunting trips?"

"Hm? I wrote it in my diary, so I know. It depended on the season, but about once a week."

"I see. By tomorrow, could you make a list of what you did and how many monsters you hunted?"

"I can do that right away."

Haru nodded.

"Master Healer."

"I understand. It’s not like the academy is struggling for funds—they must have the means to pay what she’s owed. Haru, are you registered with the Magician’s Guild?"

"No."

"What?! Then is there anything at the academy you need to retrieve?"

"Not really."

Haru’s voice was a little lonely.

"Master Healer,"

Shou added one more request.

"Make sure she gets her graduation qualification too."

"That’s a good idea, Shou. It would be unacceptable if these three years just disappeared."

Shou and the master healer grinned at each other.

Leon spoke up.

"Would it be alright if Dred and Lyla escorted you, Master Healer? We’d rather stay with Shou and Haru."

"There’s no real danger in town, but that’s fine with me."

With that, the day's plans were set.

In her first year, Falco had told Shou to hunt slimes. Leon had told her to gather herbs. Gina had taught her how to butcher lizards.

It had all been training for independence.

And every coin she earned, Falco had stored for her—without skimming even a single gil, keeping precise records.

Of course, apprentices got a share of the hunt’s earnings. Even the winter forest caretakers were paid wages, though less than full-fledged hunters.

That was normal.

No overtime pay? No salary at all?

How black was this country’s labor system?!

They would extract everything owed to Haru before leaving.

With the master healer’s authority, of course.

Shou’s determination burned bright—but, as always, she was relying entirely on someone else to do the hard part.