Help! My Overprotective S-Rank Master Who Loves Me Too Much Won't Let Me Go on Quests! - Chapter 16: Let\'s Celebrate Aria!

Chapter 16: Let’s Celebrate Aria!

As the night began, we arrived at Aria’s victory celebration party, but…

“Hey, isn’t that Adin Almarcus-kun~! I watched the match~! Hey hey! Instead of Aria, why not choose me and────”

“If you touch Adin-kun, I won’t forgive you.”

“Almarcus-kun, if you’d like, you could join our party────”

“If you have something to say to Adin-kun, wouldn’t you go through me first?”

We were inundated with this sort of conversation instantly, we were unable to properly celebrate Aria, so she and I loaded up our plates with expensive-looking food and headed to the terrace together.

“Adin-kun is my Adin-kun, so I won’t let him go~!”

Aria shouted loudly towards the venue. Since the door was closed, the people inside probably couldn’t hear her.

“It’s likely everyone invited me just because I’m Aria-san’s disciple… Besides, I have no intention of leaving Aria-san’s side.”

“Adin-kun…!”

Finally, as the atmosphere seemed right to celebrate Aria’s victory, I decided to congratulate her yet again.

“Aria-san, congratulations on your victory! This tournament has once again shown me just how amazing you are!”

“Well, yeah~! But honestly, except for the first match, it felt like they were all just titles for me, so it’s kinda iffy if I should really be happy or not.”

“Winning is winning, so I think you should be happy.”

“Well~! If Adin-kun says so, then I’ll be happy!”

Aria showed me a cute smile. …There was one thing that bothered me about what Aria said earlier, so I decided to ask her about it.

“Earlier you mentioned except for the first match… that was against Mister Steridone, right? Does that mean she’s still pretty strong even from your perspective?”

“I don’t think she’s on my level, but I still think she’s strong… This time it was a one-on-one format, so she didn’t seem to be able to demonstrate his strength much, but considering she ranked first in quest completion, I could see that she was strategizing a lot, so if she were fighting monsters, she might defeat them more efficiently than me.”

“Aria-san, and more efficient─”

Watching that match, I couldn’t help but think that Aria-san was really strong, and although Steridone lost to Aria, he was still strong from her perspective. But the fact that Aria was considering different strategies for both PvP and monster battles… I need to learn from that as well.

As I found myself once again admiring Aria-san, she looked at me, who had been lost in thought for a while, and hastily spoke up.

“Adin-kun!? Just to clarify, what I said earlier was just a possibility! Since I have more magical power, there’s a higher chance that I’m much stronger than you, you know!?”

“I understand. Why are you saying it in such a flustering way?”

“During that silence just now, were you considering whether to completely stop being my disciple or just leave monster countermeasures to Steridone!?”

“N-No, that’s not it! I was just admiring how amazing your way of thinking is!”

“Eh, really? Well, if that’s what Adin-kun thinks, then I’m happy~!”

Although Aria seemed flustered until a moment ago, her cheeks flushed and her lips loosened, she looked delighted, though a little embarrassed.

“…Even though it’s a party, I feel more comfortable being with Aria-san like this.”

“Yeah… No matter how many other people there are, if it’s just you, Adin-kun, who’s celebrating with me, I’m really happy.”

Saying so, she showed me a beautiful smile.

“Aria-san…”

As if affected by the atmosphere of the night and the place, we conversed differently than usual, then several people in expensive-looking clothes approached us on the terrace and addressed Aria-san.

“Miss Felste, since you’re the guest of honor today, it would be appreciated if you could return to the venue soon.”

“Yes, many people, including us, would like to greet Miss Felste.”

Aria-san muttered something like, “The timing is just terrible,” in a voice so small that only she could hear, and then she apologized to me with a look of regret.

“Sorry, Adin-kun, I’ll be back soon, can you wait here?”

“Yes, I understand.”

Aria-san lightly patted my head and then returned to the venue with those noble people… I was alone on the terrace, gazing at the city’s illuminated streets.

“Today… was eventful.”

Aria-san won the magic tournament, and I achieved my first victory in practical combat… It’s a significant progress.

…How many steps do I need to take to fulfill the promise of that day?

As I looked at the streets illuminated by lights at night, I pondered this alone.