Chapter 47: Interlude: Past Chapter 3 – A Few Reasons Why Mira Broke

A few more months had passed since Mikami Shuzou registered at the guild. The seasons shifted, and a brief summer was approaching the frontier town.

Mira Cattleas’s daily routine remained unchanged—guild reception work and tending to her mother Emma’s needs—but within her heart, a small yet definite change had taken root.

When had it started? She’d begun unconsciously searching for a specific person’s figure whenever the guild doors opened. That shabby-looking, unreliable middle-aged adventurer—Mikami Shuzou. When he appeared at the guild, her heart felt just a little lighter, though she couldn’t say why.

Their conversations had shifted too. Where before they’d been purely business, Mira now found herself initiating idle chatter. His unglamorous work, town gossip, sometimes even the weather.

On the rare days when he didn’t appear at his usual time, an uneasiness would stir in her chest—a nameless anxiety. What if his name had been added to the list of missing adventurers?

And without realizing it, Mira had stopped showing Mikami the fake smile she wore for others at the counter, replacing it with a genuine, age-appropriate one.

It was a shocking change, even to herself.

One day, as Mikami set a bundle of medicinal herbs on the counter, he suddenly said:

“Mira-chan, um… you’ve been smiling a lot more lately. Before, it seemed kind of like a work smile, but… ah, sorry, that’s a weird thing to say… It’s just, I’ve seen that kind of smile plenty of times in the past, so… I just hope something good happened, that’s all.”

At those words, Mira’s face flushed bright red. She never imagined Mikami-san had noticed the difference between her fake smile and her real one.

Being seen through like that was strangely embarrassing.

At the same time, she felt happy that he’d been watching her heart so closely.

“I-it’s nothing…! You’re imagining things, Mikami-san!”

That brusque reply was all she could manage.

However, the budding trust and faint affection she’d been developing toward Mikami would soon crumble fragilely and freeze over completely—all because of a single incident.

It happened one evening at summer’s end.

At this hour, the number of adventurers visiting the guild grew sparse. Mira had slipped away during a lull to run a simple errand at the town market.

Emma, despite her seemingly perfect appearance and abilities, was catastrophically hopeless when it came to housework. So cleaning, laundry, and even daily meal preparation—all domestic duties fell to Mira.

Honestly, Mother… You were raised as a proper lady of the Cattleas family, one of the royal capital’s most distinguished houses. How did you turn out like this? At this rate, you won’t be getting married anytime soon… Hehe…

Even as she muttered such slightly mean-spirited thoughts, Mira found her mother’s human flaws endearing, even beloved. And being useful to her mother filled her with great joy and gave her a sense of purpose.

That’s right… Mother and I will live together forever. In our world, we don’t need other people… much less men.

Emma’s extraordinary beauty and noble Cattleas lineage constantly attracted men. Her position as Guild Master only intensified that. Most adventurers were men, and among them were plenty of irredeemable scum.

Mira had witnessed countless adventurers making passes at her mother. Of course, such impertinent fools received Emma’s merciless punishment without exception—sometimes literally left unable to recover, or simply vanishing somewhere…

There were also craftier ones. Men who avoided approaching Emma directly, instead targeting her weakness: her daughter Mira. When Mira was even younger, she’d encountered such cowardly men many times.

They’d be kind only to young Mira, giving her sweets and toys, skillfully ingratiating themselves. Still naive to the world, Mira hadn’t noticed their ulterior motives and had caused her mother trouble on multiple occasions. She remembered Emma’s bitter expression when dealing with men who’d befriended her daughter—even formidable Emma couldn’t easily dismiss them.

Those bitter experiences heavily influenced why Mira held such a cynical view compared to other girls her age, and why she kept excessive distance from male adventurers especially.

…I really am remembering only unpleasant things.

Amid the market crowd, Mira was caught up in those past memories, her face unconsciously hardening.

That’s when it happened. She glanced up and caught sight of a familiar figure from behind. Even in the crowd, she recognized that slightly hunched, unreliable back.

Ah… Mikami-san.

Her expression softened into brightness without thinking. Seeing him somehow warmed her heart. Noticing that about herself made her feel a bit flustered again.

But the next instant, Mira’s body literally froze. Next to Mikami stood another person—someone she couldn’t possibly mistake.

Her mother—Emma.

The two were walking through the market street, chatting intimately. The distance between them was closer than Mira had ever seen, and… they appeared to be arm-in-arm. At least, that’s how it looked to Mira.

The blood drained from Mira’s head with an audible whoosh. Past memories—those unpleasant ones—came flooding back all at once. Memories of men using her to get close to her mother.

…Why…? Why is Mother with Mikami-san…? Why is Mother, the Guild Master, so familiar with a mere—a permanently F-rank adventurer…?

Questions swirled, but Mira’s sharp mind instantly arrived at one answer—the worst possible answer for her.

…I see… It’s because I… I told Mother about him…!

That’s right. Recently, during dinners with her mother, she’d unconsciously brought up Mikami repeatedly. His sincerity, his dedication to work, that occasionally good-natured smile… Looking back, she’d been praising him gleefully like some lovestruck maiden. Just like when she was a foolish child who knew nothing…!

How… how stupid am I…! I’ve made the same mistake again…!

Surely that had been Mikami’s plan all along. Just like all those other men. By getting close to the daughter, he could approach the mother, exploit her weakness, and gain something. Or perhaps he harbored filthy ulterior motives, targeting Mother’s beauty or wealth.

There was no other explanation.

Even if he’s kind, sincere, considerate, and somewhat handsome, there’s absolutely no way Mother would walk arm-in-arm so familiarly with an F-rank like Mikami-san otherwise.

Mother had once declared, half-jokingly, that she had “no interest in men weaker than herself.”

Mira knew what happened to the C-rank adventurer who’d once touched Mother too familiarly.

He was still missing.

Her fastidious mother would never genuinely develop feelings for—much less permit such familiar arm-linking with—a man like Mikami Shuzou.

Unless there were special circumstances…

Mira turned on her heel and pushed through the market crowd back to the guild. Inside her chest swirled fierce anger at being betrayed, and deep disappointment in herself.