The Guild Master Whose Hobby Was Helping People Found Himself Surrounded by the Strongest, Overly Attached Members - 37

Chapter 37: Youth Is Bad for My Heart

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After that, I was… No, not dragged along by Iris, but went out together with her on an herb-gathering request. Deep in the forest, a little farther past the plains, there grew clusters of blue-petaled herbs said to be effective for mana recovery. The request was to collect and deliver those.

As a request, this was the kind meant for beginners—a safe request. This area was practically my backyard. There had been a time when I obsessively took on nothing but gathering requests.

I had pulled more plants than I could count, gotten bitten by countless insects, and even ran away crying when harassed by herb thieves. That was why I knew exactly where these herbs grew, what time of day they were easiest to pick, and even the habits of the small animals and monsters that lived nearby.

For me, this request was at the level of a “walk that’s over in seconds.” But that wasn’t the point today.

“Today… I will definitely be of use to you, Shin-san!”

Iris said this, clenching her small fist tight. Her expression was utterly serious. But her cheeks were slightly flushed, and there was a hint of excitement mixed in.

Why are you so fired up about this?

The real goal this time was to see just how keen her powers of observation were. She was best at long-range combat, which meant she would often have to support her allies. If she lacked observational skill, it could be fatal in battle.

That was why I intended to carefully observe how Iris moved. And it was absolutely not because her earnest words—“I want to be useful to you”—had shaken my heart a little. Definitely not.

“The herbs… They grow somewhere in this forest, right?”

“They do. I used to pick them by the armful. …But there are a lot of look-alike weeds.”

“So they’re hard to tell apart…!”

Iris nodded and began walking deeper into the forest.

“What about this one?”

“That’s just a weed.”

“Then how about this one?”

“That one’s poisonous.”

“Ugh…!”

Iris’s shoulders slumped in an exaggerated way. But she quickly lifted her face again, renewed her determination with a, “One more time!” and pressed on.

I couldn’t help but feel a little impressed. Normally, most people would have given up already. But Iris refused to. Her words about wanting to be useful to me hadn’t been a lie.

After that, she kept wandering desperately through the forest. Sometimes she jumped in fright at insects, sometimes she got her skirt caught on branches and scrambled to fix it.

“Ah—!”

Suddenly, Iris let out a small cry of delight. She pointed to where blue petals swayed in the sunlight.

“I found it!”

“…Oh, you’re right. That’s the one.”

She ran over, knelt down, and carefully plucked one with both hands.

“I managed to pick it without damaging the roots!”

“As expected of someone who lived near the forest.”

For someone with zero gathering experience, she was quite deft. Holding the herb to her chest, Iris looked up with bright eyes that stared straight at me.

“You can praise me more, you know?”

Tilting her head and smiling like that, she left me speechless for a moment. …Wait, hold on. She’d been wandering around lost for nearly an hour. I couldn’t exactly say she had a sharp eye. I almost reached out to pat her head without thinking.

But the fact was, she had worked hard without giving up. And thinking back, the first time I searched for this herb, I had taken something like three hours.

“…You did well.”

As I said that, Iris offered me the herb, her expression a little shy. I patted her head once, and her cheeks grew even redder.

“…I’ll work even harder. And then… You’ll pat me again, right?”

The instant Iris looked up at me and said that, my heart skipped a beat.

Whoa, what was that!? This was a different kind of youthful thrill than with Lisette or Sera…! In an instant, it brought back memories of my dull gray school days.

Back then, I’d graduated without even holding hands. It felt like I was being given those dazzling, lost moments now. It was as if I was about to make up for those lost times. My brain cells were instantly dyed pink. Was this… What I had been missing?

No… Think this through. That occasional chill I’ve felt is real.

I hurriedly hit the brakes in my mind. Yes, in this world, every person who showed interest in me had some dangerous side to them. Even Iris—despite being around high school age—sometimes radiated a strangely intimidating presence. Carelessly patting her head… Might actually be a matter of life and death for me.

While I hesitated, Iris continued to stare at me. Her cheeks were flushed, her breathing slightly quick. She looked innocent… But surely this part of her wasn’t meticulously crafted to give that impression, right?

“Uh, well… Patting is something you do to, like, dogs or cats, isn’t it?”

“Are you implying that I’m one?”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

“…So to Shin-san, I’m not worth patting?”

Iris’s shoulders drooped sadly.

“Will you… Pat me again?”

“…Fine. Just this once.”

In the end, I couldn’t resist. I placed my hand lightly on her head. Iris’s face turned bright red, her eyes narrowing happily. For a few seconds, she even leaned her head against my hand, rubbing slightly.

“…Shin-san.”

“Wh-what is it?”

“For me… If it’s you, I don’t mind being a dog or a cat.”

“—!?”

That was a dreadful bomb. Youthful events like this, experienced at my age, brought not only joy but something else entirely. It felt like my heart was on fire, but my spine was cold. Every part of me understood the meaning of that contradiction.

Inside my body, alarm bells screamed “Gwoooohhhh!”—but wait, that wasn’t in my head. I was actually hearing it from outside. The moment I turned toward the sound, trees deeper in the forest shook violently, and a massive body broke through the undergrowth and made its appearance.

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