Chapter 16: The Consultation Desk’s Precautions Have Increased Again

Early afternoon at the Adventurer’s Guild. I sat at the counter, stringing words together with a charcoal pen on a fresh piece of parchment.

【Adventurer’s Guild – Mental Health Consultation Desk: Precautions】 ・Combat between clients is prohibited. ・Camping around the reception counter is prohibited. ・Coercing the counselor into exclusive contracts is prohibited. ・Tailing the counselor on his days off and unauthorized contact are prohibited. ・Do not formulate accords or distribute the counselor as a private or shared resource. ・Consultations regarding whether or not to destroy the world are also accepted.

The last one was addressed to that anonymous client, but the rest were entirely directed at two specific individuals. I posted the finished parchment conspicuously right next to the desk.

“…Nagi. I cannot accept that fifth clause.”

The moment I posted it, a voice as cool as ice flew in from the side. It was the genius mage clad in her dark blue robe, Fran.

“The ‘Nagi Operations Accord’ established between myself and the stray dog… no, Lise, is an extremely rational peace treaty meant to prevent your overwork while maintaining our functionality.”

“Please do not arbitrarily divide my time by days of the week and time slots. I am a human being.”

As I let out a sigh, an energetic voice came from the opposite side this time.

“Nagi! My morning request is done!”

“Good work, Lise.”

The A-Rank swordswoman, who had completely settled into her role as the guild’s exclusive solo, popped her head out from behind the counter. She shot Fran a quick glance before puffing out her chest triumphantly.

“I followed the accord and properly stayed away from Nagi to complete my request this morning. So, from now until lunch break is my contact time, right!”

“I evaluate your compliance with the treaty highly. However, your contact time ends in exactly twelve minutes.”

“I know! For these twelve minutes, I’m going to look at Nagi with everything I have!”

“Please stop, you’re going to burn a hole in me.”

Scattering sparks at each other, the two of them were attempting to coexist by following a provisional rule — which was essentially the carving up and selling of myself. Ever since the holiday stalker incident at the market, they had begun to display a solidarity from completely out of left field, based on the shared understanding that “if we fight, Nagi will collapse from overwork.”

…Really, how did it end up like this? But.

“Nagi, here. Today’s subjugation proof parts.”

“Let me check. …A splendid sword trajectory. There are no wounds that suggest you charged in recklessly.”

“Ehehe. Lately, even when I swing my sword, I don’t panic. I can properly see my surroundings.”

On the smiling Lise’s face, there was no longer any of the tragic aura from back when she would show up covered in blood and hyperventilating. She had pulled herself out of the quagmire of self-denial where she thought “everything is my fault,” and was properly walking forward on her own two feet.

“I will also submit my progress report for today. Last night’s sleep was seven hours. My mana output is completely stable.”

“That’s wonderful. Your complexion is also very good.”

“Yes. It’s thanks to you incorporating ‘resting’ as a system for me.”

Fran, too, had lost the precariousness of the days when she was stretched to her absolute limit, regaining her original intellectual beauty.

It was true — the two of them had been saved. My approach, using knowledge from my previous life, had not been wrong. They were definitively recovering and taking back their own lives.

It’s just that, as a result, their dependence on and obsession with me had been solidified at an outrageous level, completely annihilating my peaceful everyday life. …No, I suppose that is the biggest problem here.

“Oho, the desk is thriving again today!”

The Guild Master emerged from the back and let out a loud hahaha upon seeing the ever-increasing list of precautions.

“Prohibiting exclusive contracts and tailing, eh. Won’t you end up having to add something like, ‘Marriage to the counselor requires the permission of the Guild Master’ before long?”

“It’s not a laughing matter. Please don’t scrape away at my stomach lining any further.”

“Ain’t it fine? It’s a good thing for adventurers to be energetic!”

The Master gave my shoulder a careless pat and walked away. Good grief, whose fault does he think it is that this desk was created in the first place?

Eventually, Lise and Fran’s “contact time” ended, and the two returned to their respective training and research. The inside of the guild became just a little bit quieter.

I sat deeply in my chair and gave a big stretch. When all was said and done, these were busy but fulfilling days. Both of them were beginning to become more independent than before, and that anonymous client had put “human extinction” on hold for the time being. If I just continued to adjust our sense of distance little by little like this, the day might eventually come when we could return to being just a “receptionist and adventurers.”

It was right when I let out a breath, harboring such a faint hope.

“Hey there, got a minute?”

Suddenly, a figure stood in front of the counter.

The voice was bright and nimble. Looking up, I saw an unfamiliar petite girl standing there. She wore light leather armor made for easy movement, paired with a cloak that prioritized agility. A short dagger and several small pouches hung from her waist. It was the quintessential outfit of a seasoned thief. With her flaxen hair tied up casually, she leaned over the counter with a friendly smile.

“This is the desk where you can consult about the mind, or something like that, right?”

“…Yes. It is the Mental Health Consultation Desk.”

“Thank goodness!”

The girl smiled happily when I answered. Her sense of distance was close. Even though it was our first time meeting, she already gave off the vibe of a friend I’d known for years.

“I’m Roux. Nice to meet you, receptionist-san.”

“I’m Nagi. So, Roux-san. What kind of consultation brings you here today?”

When I asked in my flat, professional tone, Roux’s eyes darted around for a moment as she let out an “Umm.” Then, with a hehe laugh to hide her embarrassment, she said this:

“The daytime me is completely fine and energetic, but…”

“…Yes?”

“I don’t really know what the nighttime me is doing. …Can I consult with you about that for a bit?”

Lurking beneath those words was a definitive “unrest” and “severance.”

Down my spine, my intuition from my previous life as a clinical psychologist sounded a cold alarm once again. I looked up at the list of precautions I had just posted. …It seemed my peace and quiet was still a long way off.

【End of Part 1】