Chapter 84: I Received the Affection of a Spirit

After seeing Anima off, I returned to the inn and found Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san in the room we were in earlier.

The two of them were looking around, but their faces brightened after they noticed us.

[Miyama-san!]

[Miyama-senpai!]

They run over to me and ask me a few questions to make sure I'm okay.

When I told the two of them, who were asking me with concern, that there's nothing wrong with my body, they both looked relieved.

And then, although I thought we would then begin chatting with Lilia-san and the others, Yuzuki-san stood in front of me with her face down.

[Ummm... Senpai... I, errr...]

[Yuzuki-san?]

[I'm sorry... I was so scared... that I couldn't move...]

I knew immediately what Yuzuki-san was talking about.

She seems to be feeling guilty that she caused me to be injured because she wasn't able to escape, bowing down while her shoulders quiver, she apologized.

Smiling as gently as I could to Yuzuki-san, I replied to her with words that reassure her.

[I'm glad you're not hurt.]

[...Sen... pai...!? Senpai!!!]

[Whoaa!?]

Hearing my words, Yuzuki-san's body trembled for a bit before tears appeared in her eyes, and then, she jumped towards me.

Because of the height difference, it looks like she buried her face in my chest, but Yuzuki-san continues to cry.

[I... uwaahh... Senpai...]

[It's alright. See, I'm as safe as I can be...]

[Yes... Senpai... Thank you... for saving me...]

[Unnn... though even if I say that, I was also saved by Lilia-san and the others, so it isn't that I can proudly say I saved you.]

Yes, in the end, I didn't win against the Black Bear, and I think I would have died if it weren't for Sieg-san.

So, when I tell her with a wry smile that I can't proudly say that I saved her, Yuzuki-san's arms which were behind my back squeezed my body tighter.

[That's not true... Senpai looked really cool. You looked really, really cool.]

[I see... Thanks.]

Placing my hand on Yuzuki-san's head, I gently petted her.

No further words are needed, as Yuzuki-san buries her face in my chest for a while.

Continuing to stroke her head until she calms down, after a while, Yuzuki-san releases her embrace and moves away from me.

[...Ummm, errr.]

[Unnn.]

[Once again, thank you very much! "Kaito-senpai!"]

Saying that, she brightly smiled like a blooming flower.

Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san were back to how they usually act, and as I explained about Anima and other stuff to them with Lilia-san and the others, Rei-san came back with a very tired look on his face.

[Rei-san, welcome back. What happened with Anima?]

[Ah, unnn. She's now guarding the area where the wall was broken now.]

[You somehow look exhausted though?]

[...Well, that child really has quite a strong personality huh. She immediately tried to strike the guard captain who tried to give her instructions... Unnn. Fortunately, thanks to Miyama-kun's order, she followed my instructions. Because of that, I ended up joining the guard force for a while too.]

It seems that Anima is acting like usual even when they went to the guard force's barracks, as she refused to take orders from anyone but me, and she tried to bite the guard captain. It seems Rei-san ended up having to make a follow up, deciding to join the guard force himself.

[That is, ummm... somehow, I'm sorry.]

[No, she certainly has a strong personality, but she has the ability to back it up. She was even able to carry a large amount of materials used to repair the wall with just one hand.]

Although he had some difficulties because of her personality, it seems that Anima, who has a power comparable to that of a peerage-holder high-ranking demon, is a very useful manpower for the guard force.

Even if you factor in her personality, it's said that her strength is enough to tilt the scales towards the positive side... Unnn. I guess the next time I see Anima, I'm also going to tell her to follow the guard force's instructions.

After that, Rei-san joins in our chat and the topic of conversation shifts to the event for tomorrow... Sacred Tree Festival's harvest competition.

[Then, the harvest festival will be held tomorrow as planned?]

[Yeah, we've taken every precaution to ensure that the harvest festival, which was originally made to be child-friendly, would be safe... And though it's ironic, because Death King-sama uprooted the Black Bears, we can say that it's rather safer compared to the previous harvest festivals.]

[I see.]

It seems that with the extinction of the most dangerous beings in the Elven Forest, the Black Bears, the harvest festival is now safer.

[Speaking of which, where was the harvest festival going to be held in?]

[It's going to be held in the "Spirits' Forest", east of Rigforeshia.]

[Spirits' Forest?]

[Yeah, the symbol of the festival, the Sacred Tree, is the "Spirit Tree" in which spirits live. The Spirit Trees only bear fruit at this time of the year, and that fruit is a local specialty of Rigforeshia.]

Yuzuki-san's question is answered by Rei-san.

It seems that the Spirits' Forest is just as its name says, the forest where spirits live, and the Spirit Trees that grow there are apparently the Sacred Trees.

[Does that mean that the participants will harvest the fruits?]

[That's right~~ And for the elves, it's also a perfect opportunity to make friends with the spirits.]

[The Fruit of the Spirit Tree is a strange fruit where it tastes worse if it's not harvested together with the spirits... The spirits are very shy though. The secret to harvesting more fruits is to be friendly to them.]

Fia-san and Rei-san explained my question in turn.

Apparently, the spirits were very shy, which is why each participant goes into the forest separately to interact with the spirits and collect the fruits.

[In case you're wondering, the competition is ranked to see who collects the most fruits, but that's actually just an added bonus.]

[Yes, after all, this event has an overwhelming advantage for "Spirit Mage".]

[ [ [ Spirit Mages? ] ] ]

I've heard that the harvest festival, like the hunting tournament, will be ranked, but that's apparently just a bonus, as the prize for the harvest festival is an assortment of fruits harvested from the Elves' Forest, which is meager compared to the hunting tournament.

And when Fia-san mentioned the unfamiliar term "Spirit Mage", Kusunoki-san, Yuzuki-san and I tilted our heads.

[A Spirit Mage is a mage who is loved by the spirits, and they can borrow the power of the spirits. For the elves, being a Spirit Mage is a very honourable duty. Incidentally, Fia here is a spirit mage.]

[Ah, then, Fia-san can call spirits?]

[Yes, it's been a long time since I did, so let's go call her...]

I don't know if girls were just really interested in seeing spirits or not, as Yuzuki-san asked in response to what Rei-san said, and with a gentle smile on her face, Fia-san made a small magic circle appear above her hand.

The emerald green magic circle shimmered several times, before a small, translucent fairy, less than thirty centimeters tall, appears.

The spirit who looks like a translucent girl who's wearing green all over her body really looks just as I imagined, and seeing her, Yuzuki-san gets even more excited.

[Uwaaahhh, she's really cute... Just a little touch—– Ahh!?]

[Fufufu, I told you, right? The spirits are very shy... and the only people who can touch their bodies are Spirit Mages.]

Yuzuki-san tried reaching out her hand, and the spirit quickly hid behind Fia-san.

[How about you try, Kaito-senpai?]

[Eh? Me?]

I looked at the spirit who came in front of Fia-san again as Yuzuki-san told me that, the spirit noticed me and looked towards me... and after a while, she began fidgeting.

When I felt that she reacted strangely, I slowly reached out my hand so as not to scare it... but when the spirit saw me reach out, it looked surprised before she disappeared.

[I guess that's impossible even if it's Miyama-sama huh.]

[No, in the first place, I feel like you're misunderstanding something... Fia-san?]

[She disappeared? I didn't unsummon her though, but she disappeared instead of running away?]

Replying Lunamaria-san with a tsukkomi with a wry smile on my face, when I turned towards Fia-san... For some reason, Fia-san had a strange expression on her face while she's quietly muttering something.

As she tilted her head at the situation, the magic circle in Fia-san's hand shone again and the spirit returned.

Then, the spirit slowly approached me and after fidgeting for a while, she handed out something to me... a small fruit.

[ [ [ !? ] ] ]

[Errr... Are you giving this to me?]

Seeing this scene, the three elves, Rei-san, Fia-san and Sieg-san, looked surprised.

I was curious about why those three reacted like that, but when I spoke to the spirit in front of me, the spirit slightly nodded.

[Thank you.]

As I thanked her and received the fruit, the spirit spun around me looking somewhat happy, and then, she started patting around my body.

Arehh? I thought the only person who can touch a spirit is a spirit mage?

[Ummm... What's happening?]

[....Mi- Miyama-san!? H- How in the world did you do that!?]

[Eh? No, I didn't really do anything...]

[Unlike when you're harvesting together in the harvest festival, giving you what they harvested is a "gesture of affection" for them. In other words, it's like that spirit is saying she wants to be friends with you.]

[I- Is that so...]

I have no idea why , but it seems that this spirit liked me.

As proof of this, when I reached out my hand to the spirit that came near me, the spirit didn't run away and I was able to touch her.

And Fia-san, who had been watching the scene looking dumbfounded, with her mouth wide open, her shoulders slightly slumped down.

[...A- Are you alright? Fia?]

[...Rei... I... It took me twenty years... twenty years to become a spirit mage... but for an instant? In an instant... he was already able to...]

[Fia-sama, I'm sure that you're well aware now... that this person is just abnormal.]

[That's right, Fia-san! Kaito-san is just unusual! He's really a monster in all sorts of ways...]

The burning reproach by Lunamaria-san, along with Lilia-san's follow up, directly struck me.

As far as Lilia-san's concerned, she's naturally treating me like I'm some sort of monster... but it's not like I used my Sympathy Magic this time as I did with the baby dragon... So why in the world did this happen?

Dear Mom, Dad—— I heard about the harvest festival and about the spirits. And for some reason—– I received the affection of a spirit.