The Chair Oversleeps

I overslept.

Well, shit.

The two suns Calidis and Otonal peaked over the horizon as I exited Kumari’s place. If I ran across town, I could definitely make it…

…did I actually care if I was on time?

…

…

Eh, I felt more like enjoying a quick stroll instead. I would only be two minutes late anyway, so what’s a minute or two more?

As the suns continued to dance in the sky above, more people were slowly leaving their houses. This early, there were mostly adventurers heading towards the guild, trying to grab a good quest or two. The town itself changed colors, lighting up like a star. It wasn’t the most gorgeous thing to see, but it was still plenty beautiful.

By the time I reached the North Gate, it was already bustling. Most of the farmers entered town, bringing fresh produce to the marketplace. Meanwhile, a number of beast-drawn carts left to restock on foreign goods. It seemed like there was some domesticated beast meat as well, given all the protesters circling around.

The Amstec party was waiting near a small decorative wall by the gate exit. One person, probably a member given their proximity, scrounged through the contents of a large rucksack. As I got closer, I could hear her muttering.

“Mid-grade healing potions, check. Onions, check. Salt, check. Water crystals, check…”

“Have any explosives in there?” I asked.

“Well, I do have a few fire crystals but–huh?!?” The girl whipped around, looking a bit startled. The first thing I saw was her see-through white shirt, revealing the pad-lines of her bra, along with some standard blue jeans and brown hiking boots. She was rather tall for a human; I had to crane my neck to see her face. She fiddled with her long, braided, brown hair with callused hands, glancing between me and the rest of the party.

“U-umm, w-who are y-you?” she nervously asked.

“Oh–urk!” Before I had a moment to finish one word, I was immediately constricted by vines.

“I can’t believe you made me wait this long!” Ai fumed as she squeezed harder. Yes, I knew it was coming, and I could’ve dodged it, but it seemed best to let her vent. This was a bit of an overreaction though. It was only five minutes past seven, so she couldn't have been waiting long.

“C’mon, just let the proctor down already. We need him to pass the exam,” Rufus bartered condescendingly. She scoffed and released the vines, dropping deep in thought.

I heard her mutter, “That felt wrong…” but I had no idea what that meant. Was it a test of some kind? Maybe I came off a bit too strong in that mock battle.

“U-umm…” Oh, right. I forgot. I turned back towards Emma and stuck my hand out… and she jumped. Looks like I needed to take a softer approach.

“Pleasure to meet you, Emma Martin. My name is Jack, and I will be your proctor for the B-rank exam quest.”

Emma hesitated a bit before grabbing my hand, shaking it vigorously. “S-same here! My name’s Emma, and I’m the supporter of Amstec!” She did seem rather determined, but there was no way she had any combat experience given her grip. That was a bit worrisome, but if the other three could protect her, it would be fine.

“Okay! Less chatting, more walking!” Ai yelled, gliding ahead on her vines. The rest of the party sighed, following closely behind.

Once we left town, Rufus explained that we would be heading directly through the forest to Dragon’s Sigh. It sounded like they had everything planned, so it should be a rather smooth trip. I wasn’t going to interfere; this was an exam after all. However, they were all strangely confident in their abilities, Emma included. Ai maybe less so. Hopefully, they didn’t underestimate the beasts.

“Hey Jack,” Ai said, commanding my attention.

“What?”

“Why are you wearing Aster’s rag?”

“It’s not Aster’s, and it’s supposed to be a disguise for the guild.”

“Hmm? And why do you need to hide from the guild? Are you a murderer?”

“No? They just rope me into things I don’t want to do. I only helped with this proctor gig because an overworked demon complained.” Though, if I thought about it, Kumari pushed work onto me anytime I showed up.

Something tugged on my other sleeve. Aster was staring at me, expressionless.

“What are you?” Huh? How was I supposed to answer that?

“A human?” What? It was true. I wasn’t like a being made of pure mana. That would be ridiculous.

Aster gazed into my eyes for a while before letting go. I wasn’t sure what she wanted me to say. Though, I could take a guess.

Well, whatever. I would deal with it later.