Tsutomu walked around the large guild dormitory, checking each door for the number that the Deputy Guild Master had given him. Eventually finding the one he was looking for, he double-checked before ringing the bell.

Youre LATE! Come on, let yourself in!

Amys voice came from the other side; Tsutomu heard that as somewhat of a reproachful tone. With the assumption that she had already heard the story from the Deputy Guild Master, he pulled the doorknob it wasnt locked, so it didnt take any effort to open. The apartments interior was roughly the same in structure as Garms, so Tsutomu went to wait in the living room for the time being.

Took you long enough, Dini

Amy, wearing loose pyjamas, turned around with a smile as she put a cup on the table and froze over when she saw Tsutomu here. She proceeded to back away, while also grabbing the empty cup that had been on the table beforehand.

Huh!? Tsutomu, whyre YOU here!?

Uh, well, Id thought the Deputy Guild Master already told you what was up, so I figured Id drop by Sorry, is now a bad time?

G-gimme a second here!

Hiding her slightly reddened face with her hands, Amy hurried out of the living room and into her bedroom. Tsutomu heard some cloth-crumpling noises; it seemed that she was in quite a rush to get dressed.

Tsutomu waited for a while; by the time he was getting tired of standing around, Amy came back in her adorable, age-appropriate casual clothes. She must still be feeling somewhat awkward, what with one of her hands being occupied with fixing her white bangs.

Uh, so, you were expecting your friend? Maybe I should come again tomorrow instead.

Eh, its fine she likes taking her sweet time. Probably wont be here for a while.

Amy sat down opposite to where Tsutomu was standing, the look on her face suggesting that she had just remembered the appointment with her friend herself; seeing that, Tsutomu took the liberty of sitting himself down as well. Feeling some relief after walking and standing all day, Tsutomu sighed softly before proceeding with the conversation,

It feels like so long since we last met.

Yeah. It must have been just a week, though? Right?

Huh, thats a lot shorter than I thought. Anyway lets just go straight to the main point. Well be having a talk with Solit Company some time soon, Amy. Id like you to come along as well, so Im here to ask about your schedule for the next few days.

Not wanting to get in the way of Amys appointment with her friend, Tsutomu cut to the chase, intending to just ask for her free times and leave immediately. Amy, seeing that as him being in such a hurry to be done with her, and how he still sounded so formal to just her, felt as if she had salt rubbed over her wounds.

Youre being all buddy-buddy with Garm and the Guild Master now, but still being so formal with me, I see. Yeah, right Im not in your party anymore, after all. The Guild Master must have filled the slot really well, huh?

Amy mumbled the latter part in a low, muffled voice; Tsutomu couldnt hear her, and ended up looking somewhat confused as a result..

I dont really know where youre coming from, but if you want me to be buddy-buddy, then I sure can. So, your plans?

Im always free. You know, technically off duty and all that.

I see. How about the evening after tomorrow, then? Is that a good time?

Like I said, Im free. Anytimes fine. Anyways

It was apparent from how Amy gave her answer that she didnt care about that matter whatsoever. She folded her white cat ears backwards, looked around as if she couldnt quite place her eyes on anything, and then quickly lowered her head.

Look, Tsutomu Ive always wanted to apologize. Im so sorry.

I just up and charged at the Solit Company, then got caught and the blame somehow ended up being placed on you. Im sorry that my recklessness got you involved, Tsutomu.

Its all right.

Amy raised her head and saw Tsutomu nodding to her; the serious look on his face suggested that he truly meant what he had said. Not the cold, lifeless stare that she had gotten back when they had gone fighting the Shell Crab, but not a look of excessive kindness, either. Amy looked down, resolving herself for whatever would come next.

You should be more angry. Go ahead punch me, kick me, whatever. Ill tell the Guild to get rid of our party contract, and refund all the fees, too. Ill even resign from my Staff Member job if you want. If you never want to see me again, then Ill go far away and then and then

Listen, Amy

Tsutomu called for Amy to stop as she scrambled her thoughts for more and more things to say. Amys shoulders jerked up and she looked up at Tsutomu with a frightened look in her eyes; the latter painted himself a smile to try and reassure her.

Youve thought it over more than enough now, dont you think? Theres no need to punish yourself anymore.

Wh but why!? It was my fault that you were treated like a criminal! Of course I have to be punished for it!

Hey, dont worry its already been decided that the case with Solit Companys article will be set straight. Besides, I dont really feel like griping over the mistakes of someone four years younger than me, you know.

Huh? Four years?

I mean, youre eighteen, right? Ill be turning twenty-two this year.

WHAT!!?? Youre OLDER than ME!?

Yeah, I guess I look THAT young to some people, huh Garm and Camille had just about the same comment. Not that I get told that very often, though.

Hearing Amys reaction and seeing how her expression and tone had changed so suddenly, Tsutomu facepalmed, sounding somewhat disheartened. It took a while for Amy to recover from her cringe of surprise, after which she slammed her hands on the table and leaned forward.

Wait, thats not the point!! I need something to be done to feel better! Come on, punch me! Hit me with all youve got!

Punching is a bit Oh, right. The contract from before is still in effect, isnt it? How bout I use that to my advantage now, hmm?

Eh- yeah! If its something I can do j-just say the word!

Amy insisted with her teeth grit and her eyes closed. Seeing her shoulders tremble, Tsutomu pulled a wry smile as he leaned forward on the table. Amy, able to tell by sound that Tsutomu had started moving, tensed up and waited for whatever punch would hit her.

Boom.

And so Amy was hit with a light flick on her forehead. So light, in fact, that she only blinked repeatedly out of surprise and confusion instead. Tsutomu, no longer leaning forward, looked her in the eyes and proceeded to say,

Heres the deal, Amy you, me, and Garm are going to form a party and fight the Fire Dragon again. Yeah, thats what Ill have you do? How about it?

What?

I mean, Camille was super strong and helpful and all, but it just didnt feel right without you, you know? See, your Attacker style involves repeatedly landing weaker hits, while Camille deals high damage with slower single attacks, so I wasnt quite used to managing the aggro she generated. Oh, and Ive thought up a few plans for your role, too; would be a waste to never try them out, right? Come on, lets do it, Amy. Well go ham on that oversized lizard after were done with Solit Company!

As Tsutomu started talking about his run in the Dungeon, Amy chuckled along a little before her expression dropped to a frown.

No way; Im not strong enough for that. I mean, it took you eight hours even with the Guild Masters help, right?

Huh? Hey, you got that wrong Camilles got high firepower, sure, but she actually freaked out real hard at the beginning, you know.

Uh, what?

Oh, you didnt get to see the beginning of it on the Monitor? She straight up lost the will to fight the first time she heard the Fire Dragons roar. That was the main reason why the fight took so long, actually.

What!? The Guild Master lost the will to fight!? THE Guild Master, of all people!?

That really surprised me, too. She seemed so much like a mass of pure confidence, after all. Well, she did recover and help out soon enough but then I was scared the whole time that shed be demoralized again if she were to be hit, so I had her fight less aggressively overall.

Oh, okay But I still dont think Ill be able to pull it off, though. Nope, definitely not!

Yes, you can!

No! I cant!

Tsutomu, having become rather mentally tenacious himself, gave Amy some cursory encouragement; she denied it with a wave of her hands. Mildly annoyed, Tsutomu proceeded to fold his arms.

We make such a good party, though Besides, by the time were done dealing with Solit Company, we probably wont have much time left on our contract, so Id like the three of us to at least clear the Fire Dragon together once. Its my first party ever here, so I kinda got attached, I guess

Upon hearing Tsutomus claims, Amy clenched her fists. She knew that all too well while watching Camille fighting the Fire Dragon, she wished time and time again to take her place in the fight.

Amy had been in her worst form when she and Tsutomu first formed the party together. Having seen Garm as the no-nonsense babysitter of the Lucky Boy, she had only agreed to join the party because the Guild Master had ordered her to. That perception of her had started to change after they had reached the twentieth layer.

Tsutomus strategy of assigning the roles of Attacker, Tank, and Healer among the party members at first, Amy had thought it to be pointless. But it had been effective; Garm, as the Tank, had never collapsed no matter how many hits he took from the enemies, while Tsutomu, as the Healer, had kept up with his healing and support skills. It had been exhilarating, being able to go ham on the monsters with enhanced speed.

When they had managed to defeat the Shell Crab the one thing she had perceived as an impossibly high wall with plenty of energy to space, Amy hummed and jumped for joy when she got back. And then they had gone and defeated yet another Shell Crab that was when she had started to understand what being a specialized Attacker was all about.

Her role was to pick off the monsters, one at a time, as they prioritized Garm. To move with awareness of Tsutomus support and healing skills, and also to stop attacking whenever he warned her to. It had been gratifying to play her part in the team, and to be praised by Tsutomu.

She had truly believed in this partys ability to prevail over the Fire Dragon.

I think so, too.

Hmm?

I think I think we make a good party, too! Ive finally figured out your fighting style! Garm and me, weve gotten way stronger than before! Matching our moves with your skills, managing the aggro on us, and all that stuff! We were having such a good time! But then Ive caused you a lot of trouble, and the Guild Master is helping you out now

Uh, thats got nothing to do with Camille, doesnt it?

No, it does! Shes got her awesome Dragon Form! I wouldnt ever be able to pull off my moves like she did! No way in hell! Shed definitely make a better Attacker for Garms Tank, too! Youre better off just sticking with her!!

No way; Im sure youd be a better fit for us, Amy.

Tsutomu replied to her immediately; Amy flapped her mouth in confusion, with no words coming out. Tsutomu put his hand on his chin and proceeded to explain,

Camilles Dragon Form is cool and all, but its really exhausting to work it into our routine, you know. Accounting for her mistakes took up a lot of time, too, which made managing aggro and my mental strength a whole lot harder. Well, some of that was just because wed been teamed up for just a week, though. Unlike her, youve been with us for far longer thats why I said youd be a better fit. Besides, its not like youre lacking in firepower, either. Your attacks are fast and precise makes it easier to get them at their weak spots, after all.

But But

Believe me, Amy you ARE strong enough. Come on, lets team up again! Oh, I forgot to mention Garms kind of nervous around Camille because of the hierarchy at his actual workplace, so hed probably be more comfortable arguing with you, dont you think?

Tsutomu held out his hand; as she stared at it, tears trickled from Amys eyes down to the floor. In attacking Solit Company, she had further damaged Tsutomus reputation. By the time she had been released, Camille had joined Tsutomus party, and several days later, they had gone and defeated the Fire Dragon. At that point, she had thought that they no longer hand any use of her.

But now, Tsutomu was insisting that he had forgiven her, and even went so far as to invite her back, saying she was an integral part of his team. Amy was so overwhelmed with emotion that she jumped over the table and hugged him.

Although Tsutomu tried backing away only because he was startled he still managed to catch her. Amy buried her face in his chest and started to cry.

I-I thought you were gonna say you didnt need me anymore!

Theres no way Id do that.

Tsutomu smiled to Amy, while also pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe her tears. Amy, squinting as she felt a little ticklish, continued to speak,

I thought youd say youd rather have the Guild Master!

Well ideally, Id like to have both of you with us, actually. Both of you have high AGI and could dodge the monsters attacks to some extent, so that would help Garm have an easier time Tanking. Oh, but then I wouldnt be sure who to use <<Haste>> on first. Maybe Ill prioritize Camille while shes in Dragon Form and

YOU MORON!!

Amy, with tear-stained eyes, looked at Tsutomu as he rambled on about party strategies; with both hands, she proceeded to pull his cheeks to the side.

Just me should be enough, right~~? Cause Im a better fit than the Guild Master, right~~?

Owowowow!!

Amy kept on pinching Tsutomus cheeks as she clung to his chest, her face finally the usual cheerful smile.

[What am I even doing, standing around out here?]

The friend whom she had invited over, an Elf named Diniel, had already arrived but the latter saw that Amy was having too much fun pinching some mans cheeks to notice her; as such, she didnt feel comfortable with letting herself in. Then she heaved a sigh to herself, her blonde ponytail hair swaying with the movement of her head.