"…Hm?"

Upon waking up in the morning, I felt oddly breathless. Something soft was pressed against my face, and my body was held down as though I were restrained, making it hard to move.

After struggling free, the reason became clear.

Next to me, still asleep, was Flare. It seemed my face had somehow ended up nestled in her chest. Realizing this made my face heat up in embarrassment.

“Mmm… no, Ike, not there…” she murmured in her sleep.

“Hey, Flare. Wake up,” I said.

She blinked her eyes open, then flashed a big, cheerful smile. “Good morning, Ike!”

When we arrived at the guild, the receptionist, Ayla, with her distinctive flaxen hair, greeted me with a warm smile.

“Good morning, Ike.”

“Morning, Ayla,” I replied as we exchanged greetings.

Flare was still enthralled by the stalls we’d passed on the way, so she would catch up with me after I took on an assignment.

I asked Ayla, "Could I see some C-rank quests?"

Today, I planned to accept a straightforward quest to ease into a rhythm.

"Of course, I understand," Ayla replied. "But Ike, are you planning to take the quest alone? Or have you already found a new party?”

“I’ll be working alone for now… well, technically not alone.”

With Flare in mind, I added quietly.

“I see… perhaps this quest might be suitable?”

She handed me a quest description: the task involved hunting ten goblins in the Ville Forest, about a half-hour’s travel south of town.

Flare and I could manage this with no problem. I accepted the quest.

“Then I’ll take it.”

“Understood,” Ayla replied.

But today, I had another task before heading out.

"Also, could I retrieve my doll-case storage now?"

“Oh, of course! I’ll bring it right away.”

She quickly returned from the back with two silver cases.

“Here you go.”

After a brief inspection, I left the guild.

I fastened the two doll cases I’d retrieved onto my belt. These, plus Flare, made up my entire set of three dolls.

Previously, I only carried dolls necessary for the mission, leaving the rest at the guild to reduce the risk of losing them in emergencies. Yesterday, however, I realized how naive this approach was. Even with allies, the worst can happen unexpectedly, and now I’d decided to carry all of them with me at all times.

For today’s mission, it was just Flare and me. But even then, you never know.

• Three doll-cases,
• A dagger,
• A tool pouch, and
• A material bag.

It might seem like a lot, but with physical enhancement magic, I could manage well in combat.

With preparations complete, I headed to meet up with Flare.

“Oh, Ike! Look, I bought so much stuff!” Flare exclaimed.

At the rendezvous point, I found Flare happily munching on various fruits and bread she'd bought.

Maybe giving her money without instructions wasn’t wise. She’d certainly bought far more than she needed.

But anyway, with cheeks stuffed full of food, Flare and I set off from the town, our journey underway.

Munch, munch. Tasty.