第４０９堀：警察署でのお嫁さんたち (Part2)
I realized then that I’d never actually seen her in her uniform before, mostly because I’d never visited her while she was on the clock.
…Since she’s wearing it for work, I suppose I can’t technically call it cosplay.
And yet, a voice deep in my soul was screaming, *“No, that definitely counts as cosplay!”*
““Good work, Vice Chief Riel!!””
The two guards at the gate snapped to attention, offering a crisp salute.
“Yes, good work to you both. Any issues?”
“None, ma’am! All clear!”
“I see. But listen, I’m not the Vice Chief anymore. I’m on Special Duty with Deryu now. Tori is the Vice Chief and the Chief’s current assistant. You have to remember these things.”
“Sir—ma’am! My apologies!”
So, Riel really was getting her work done. The fact that they still called her Vice Chief suggested she was quite popular with the rank and file.
“Now then, time to get back to Tori’s paperwork… Oh, Yuki?”
“I came to pick you up.”
“Huh? Weren’t you supposed to be busy with all sorts of things today?”
“About that… the sun was beating down so hard we decided to push some of it to another day.”
“Ahaha. It is hot, isn’t it? And look at you, Yuki, with a girl on each arm. That’s even hotter.”
I couldn’t disagree with her. But I certainly wasn’t going to say that out loud.
“I can handle this much.”
“…Mm. Love is a great power,” Ria added.
“Ria, Cleena—how about you two do something about that sweat before you start talking? Just looking at you makes me feel overheated. Anyway, let’s get inside. The station has air conditioning.”
With Riel leading the way, we stepped into the building…
“Who are those people with Vice Chief—I mean, Special Duty Riel? Especially that guy.”
“Ah, right, you only joined about a year ago. That’s Yuki-san.”
“Who? Who’s Yuki-san?”
“…You need to go back to training. Not knowing the Special Duty’s husband is like not knowing the basic common sense of a Weed citizen.”
“Husband?! Wait, if he’s Special Duty Riel’s husband, then…”
“Exactly. He’s also Queen Seraria’s husband. He’s the top brass of this country.”
“…He’s actually married to them?”
“Well, he’s been busy traveling abroad for the last year or so. I guess it’s understandable you wouldn’t know.”
“…I think I’ll go look for a new love.”
“…Yeah, good luck with that.”
Yeah. Good luck, buddy. May your future be bright.
Back then—and even now—I never had the energy to go out of my way to "look for love." I always felt that staying home and playing games was a much better use of my time; at least my level goes up and I actually have fun.
…Though I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t been able to play at all.
“But seriously, look at him. He’s got two beauties on his arms, and another beauty guarding him?”
“…I don’t know about the other three, but I’m pretty sure that silver-haired girl with the twin-tails is one of his wives, too.”
“…I’m so envious, it hurts.”
“Agreed.”
I suppose those are perfectly natural human emotions, but I’m innocent here, so please forgive me. I’m sure you’ll find someone special too. Probably.
“Hey there. Tori, I’m back.”
“‘I’m back’ my foot! You went and slipped away without a word, leaving me to be dragged into this mountain of paperwork!”
Tori wasn’t there. Instead, it was Deryu who was buried under the documents.
“Oh? Where’s Tori?”
“She took the Chief out to finish the rounds of greetings. More importantly, what is Yuki doing here? And it’s rare to see Dressa tagging along. What, did you two get into another fight?”
“We did not!” Dressa snapped, her face souring.
“What’s this about?” I asked.
“Dressa is quite headstrong,” Riel explained. “She ends up getting into arguments at the Adventurer Guild pretty often. Though, since it’s usually because she’s sticking up for the kids, she doesn’t get in actual trouble.”
“We’re often called in to act as her guardians,” Deryu added with a sigh.
“Hey!”
“It can’t be helped, can it?” Dressa huffed. “They tell the kids who are just trying to do helper quests for Weed to go home and leave the work to the adults.”
Ah, I see. I knew the type. To those who put their lives on the line exploring dungeons and adventuring, seeing children earn pocket change doing errands probably rubbed them the wrong way.
“Milly knows that either I or Deryu are usually wandering around maintaining public order,” Riel said. “So she calls us in to act as the guardians.”
“I see.”
“Anyway, putting that aside,” Deryu said, “what brings you here, Yuki?”
“I came to pick you up. And I wanted to hear a bit about what’s happening on the ground.”
“On the ground? Ah, you mean *that* matter.”
“Oh, right, you were looking into that. You went to the Adventurer Guild today, didn’t you? How was it?”
“Well, about that…”
And so, even though Tori hadn't returned yet, I began to share the day's findings with the two of them. I hoped the police might have some useful information to add.
***
*Author’s Note:*
*This was a glimpse into the side of Riel and Deryu as they work in Weed. Also, a very clear illustration of how "enviable" Yuki’s life looks to others.*
*Some people might dislike these slice-of-life descriptions, but for me, they’re indispensable, so please bear with me. I want to show that things aren't just moving around the protagonists, but that the world has its own rhythm.*
*Also, on the 28th, I inserted a "Brief Character Introduction" at the very top of the main page, separate from the main story. Did you see it? For some reason, the traffic doubled after that, which really surprised me.*