After Irene and Hanami talked on the balcony about what had happened the night before they left the castle, resolved their doubts, and kissed each other, they finished carrying up the remaining luggage and went to sleep.
Morning arrived over the kingdom of Midmidir. The buildings lit up, taking on that yellowish hue. Birds began to sing and fly among the clouds.
Rynelle groaned softly, squeezing her eyelids shut as she woke up. Her room was already flooded with light streaming through the glass. She tried to move, but her body felt heavy.
"Um…?" she murmured.
She realized her arms were trapped by the bodies of Irene and Hanami. They had her pinned in the middle, hugging her and draping their legs over hers. Rynelle frowned slightly and muttered,
"Do they think I'm their body pillow or what?"
Putting some effort into it, she freed her arms, sat up, and pushed both of their legs off her.
"They're heavy. What they lack in fat, they make up for in legs."
She sighed, gathering her energy, and stared ahead, thinking,
'I need to prepare everything we're doing today.'
She glanced back, watching the kitsune and the vampire sleeping peacefully on their sides. Both of their hair was spread across the bed.
'I'll let them sleep a bit longer. I can take care of this myself. That way, they'll just wake up and everything will already be ready.'
◇◆◇
Irene inhaled deeply, then exhaled through her mouth with a look of pure pleasure.
"The sweet scent of machine oil and plant life—herbs and spices! I love this place."
The three of them walked along a pedestrian street crowded with people, with lampposts lining the center and benches near bushes and trees. They were all wearing white hooded cloaks.
"Can we ride one of those hot air balloons today?" Irene asked with a smile.
"They're not as fun as they look," Hanami replied. "If you want to see the city from the sky, we can ride the golden chickens. They give tours all around the kingdom."
"Giant flying chickens?"
"Yeah."
"Rynelle, we have to go!"
The elf walked between the two of them while reading through the Guild requests.
"Remember, we didn't come to Midmidir for tourism. We're here to teach you how to work for the Guild."
"Ehhh~ But I already know how it works. Besides, it's just a trip. We're not doing this adventure for danger—we're doing it to enjoy ourselves. It won't take long."
Rynelle sighed, lowering the sheet of paper she held in her right hand.
"Hanami, help me turn our little fox into someone responsible."
The vampire smiled awkwardly, closed her eyes, and replied,
"You're asking the wrong person, darling. I'm more of a free spirit. I do whatever I want."
Irene stretched and took the paper Rynelle was holding.
"Then let me look at the requests. There has to be something at least a little interesting to do."
Her eyes moved side to side as she scanned the page. They were all beginner-level requests that involved no danger, just helping people.
Hanami's curious nose caught a delicious scent. She stepped closer to Rynelle and smelled her hair, while the elf glanced at her calmly from the corner of her eye.
"Is that something new? You smell absolutely exquisite," Hanami said.
"Yeah. I bought it yesterday on the way to the inn. It uses scents from fruits native to Midmidir. If you like it, you can use it too."
Hanami smiled, pressing close and wrapping her arms around Rynelle's bicep.
"Then I'll stay really close to you."
"Look, this one has something related to magic. Should we do it?" Irene offered, showing her the page.
Rynelle looked it over and nodded.
"Yes. We can do whichever one you want from this list."
◇◆◇
Irene's huge smile flushed her cheeks as her pink tail swayed beneath her cloak. She leaned over the edge of the suspended platform, making it wobble in the process. They were ascending more than forty meters, on the third tallest tower in Midmidir.
"These views are incredible!" Irene exclaimed as her hair swayed in the wind.
Rynelle smiled, crossing her arms, and teased her playfully.
"What a spoiled little fox you are. You managed to satisfy your urge to fly indirectly."
Irene looked at her from the side and winked, sticking her tongue out slightly. Hanami sighed and pulled back her white hood, letting her long gray hair spill free.
The three friends were accompanied by an adult engineer wearing a sleeveless uniform. He wore brown gloves, a protective helmet, and carried all his tools on his belt.
"Thanks for accepting the request. This isn't a task adventurers are required to do, but it's more expensive to handle it with regular labor."
"It's no problem. Our spoiled friend here just wanted an excuse to fly," Rynelle replied.
"I see," the man said, leaning his hip against the edge. "Are you new adventurers?"
"Something like that. Only she is. She's learning how to complete requests."
"More and more people take up that line of work every day, right? I've heard that at first it was heavily criticized, and they were labeled as freeloaders living off handouts."
Irene listened with little interest, lightly swaying her tail while her eyes searched for something else to catch her attention.
Hanami sat down on the platform's railing, making it wobble, with the empty void at her back. Rynelle replied,
"Times change. At least now those missions actually deserve a reward."
"That's true. There are even heroes now."
When they reached the top of the tower, the platform—lifted by ropes—came to a stop. The man opened the railing gate, gesturing toward the rooftop.
"All right, it's all yours," he said cheerfully, motioning for them to go ahead.
The three of them moved forward in a line, with Irene in the middle. They only walked about two meters before they had to jump to a ledge on the building.
Rynelle exhaled nervously, chills running through her fingers. The landing spot was a narrow base barely forty centimeters wide, with no railing—just the tower wall and open freefall.
"Hanami, just guide Irene's jump, but let her do it on her own."
"At your command, my lady."
Hanami levitated and took Irene's hand, guiding her forward. She positioned her at the edge and said,
"When you're ready, jump. I'll hold you."
Irene's tail and ears bristled. She clung to the ground and to Hanami's hand in fear. The strong wind didn't help her stay calm either.
"I-it looked more exciting from below…" she admitted in a shaky voice.
Rynelle laughed at her comment and said,
"Try not to break your nails when you jump."
"Oh God… this is really high…"
"Relax. I've got you," Hanami said softly.
Irene looked at her from where she stood, her expression calmer. Her tail slowly relaxed, and her breathing steadied. She could also feel the grip of Hanami's hand—strong and secure, but not painful.
After mentally preparing herself, she took a leap of about a meter, followed by a brief half-meter drop. Hanami guided her through the fall so she could keep her balance when landing.
Thanks to that, Irene laughed and enjoyed it. Rynelle smiled quietly at the sight of her glowing face. Hanami descended onto the platform behind her.
The three of them began walking along the edge of the abyss. From up there, appreciating the horizon, the clouds, and the sun was much easier. They were so high up that Irene thought she might run out of oxygen at any moment. In the distance, the muted sounds of the kingdom felt like they came from another world.
'I wonder if there's a place on Earth that's this high and open at the same time. Sadly, I never had the money to travel… but here… I don't know if it was someone or something, but I'm grateful for this new life I was given. It's simply beautiful…'
When they reached a set of stairs attached to the concrete and metal of the building, Rynelle said,
"Our objective is up there. So, have you peed yourself yet, little fox?"
"I'll check!" Hanami shouted quickly, squatting down and lifting Irene's cloak.
"Kyaa! Don't do that!" Irene protested, clutching her dress to keep it down.
Rynelle and Hanami burst out laughing.
"I'll go up the stairs after you, Hanami!"
The vampire passed by Irene without wiping away her playful giggle.
"What a shame—I was planning to admire every muscle on your ass."