Having Three People Makes the Best Journey Even Better!
Several days had passed since we departed the royal capital, Ostria.
In fiction, traveling feels pretty snappy. One moment you’re in one country, the next in a new city—quick cuts, constant progress.
But reality wasn’t that sweet.
We weren’t traveling by carriage or anything, so we just walked. Every single day, we walked and walked and walked.
We hadn’t run into a single monster during that time.
At this point, I was starting to forget I was even an adventurer.
It felt like how the swim team becomes the track team during the winter… or something like that. I dunno.
The biggest enemy here was boredom.
And in the midst of that, we were... well, having fun every night.
“Tabito, no. Don’t pull it out…”
“Hah, I know. It’s right here, right? I get how you work, Milfie.—Alright, I’m pulling it out.”
“Nooo, don’t pull it out meowaaahhh!”
“… Your voice is way too suggestive. Please keep it down, Milfie.”
“Ugh, okay… ahh!”
Milfie’s strangely sweet and sensual voice.
Then I turned to look beside me.
An elven girl, Aqua, with her pointed ears perked up, was staring at me.
She was hard to read.
I couldn’t tell what she liked or didn’t like.
“I think I’m starting to understand you, Tabito.—This is it, right?”
“… Who knows.”
“Your cheek twitched. You’re easy to read.—You want the one on the right.”
“No… maybe it’s the left.”
“Then excuse me.”
Aqua’s hand—her pale, slender arm—slowly reached out.
And she pulled one of my… cards.
The one left in my hand was the devil card—Old Maid.
“I win.”
“Yaaay meowaa~ Heheh, another loss for Tabito, meow.”
Yes, it was cards. A game.
For some reason, this world had them too, so I bought a dozen decks.
Looking back, maybe I went overboard—but we've had so much fun, they’ve already paid for themselves.
I mostly bought that many because I didn’t want them to break.
The surprising thing is, Aqua is seriously strong.
The reason is simple—her expression barely changes.
Apparently, elves aren’t very expressive, and that makes her a terror in card games.
Milfie, on the other hand, messes with me by making lewd noises like before. And yes, it does mess with me.
“Well then, goodnight, meow.”
“Goodnight, Tabito.”
“Right. Stay warm and don’t sleep with your belly exposed. Mama worries.”
“… What are you saying… meowaah…”
“…………”
By the way, both of them fall asleep ridiculously fast.
Or rather, I’ve come to a realization.
The most essential skill for an adventurer—
It’s not offense or defense.
If you think about it, the answer is obvious.
It’s the ability to sleep anywhere.
Our sleeping spots change daily, and right now, for example, we’re laying down some cushion-like stuff on a path beside the forest to sleep.
There’s even a chance we might wake up and be in battle within two seconds.
Despite that, we still need to relax enough to fall asleep.
… Is that even possible? Can a normal person even do that?
For the record, I sometimes can’t fall asleep.
When that happens, Milfie sings me a meowmori song.
♪ How many more meows ‘til the next country~ ♪
It’s literally a New Year’s song! I pointed that out, but she just gave me a “huh?” face.
It made no sense.
And yet, it was somehow soothing.
Also, the nightly card games serve another important purpose besides fun.
They decide the night watch shifts.
We take turns, of course, but the first shift is the longest, so it’s kind of a loss.
And I lose every time.
It’s frustrating, but it’s fine this way.
It makes me feel like I’m protecting the two of them.
“Alright, time to check the guide map.”
My nightly routine is reviewing comments and notes on places we’ve been and where we currently are.
Thanks to that, we’ve avoided any serious danger.
—
[Edonia Trail]
3.4 ★★★★☆ (451 reviews)
A-Rank Adventurer
★★★★☆
Relatively calm.
There’s nothing here.
B-Rank Adventurer
★★★☆☆
Seemed decent for camping, but not great.
The ground’s hard.
C-Rank Adventurer
★☆☆☆☆
Got woken up by monsters.
—
Then, I spotted a disturbing comment.
It was fairly recent—maybe three days ago.
The great thing about reviews is how they show the average score, but of course, that can fluctuate depending on the day.
If there’s a possibility of monsters, we can’t afford to let our guard down.
Just to be safe, I put on the iron sand gloves given to me by Witch Miri, aka "Saguro." I gave them a nickname for convenience—though I usually just call them "Sacchan."
While keeping the campfire burning, I gazed at the two sleeping faces when suddenly, the map reacted.
The most important part of being on watch is determining whether you can handle things alone.
The journey is long, and if you wake your companions at every little sign of danger, none of you will last.
Milfie has sharp ears and nose, Aqua can use magic like a detection device, and me? Well, obviously, I have the map.
Checking it, I saw the monster was just a measly goblin.
Only one, too. Easy to take down.
Annoyingly, it was slowly heading our way.
From what I could see on the map, there were no other threats around.
I quietly approached and confirmed the goblin visually.
—Sorry 'bout this. Sweet dreams.
I clenched Sacchan tightly and raised it high—when suddenly, my body surged with strength.
"Igh!!!?”
Thanks to that, my swing landed with extra force.
The goblin let out a tiny shriek as it collapsed, its skull now in… quite the state.
… Amen.
When I turned around, Aqua was standing there.
"You were awake?"
"… Yes. I couldn’t sleep."
I thought she was a heavy sleeper, but apparently not.
For a second, I worried if I had woken her, but she said this happens often.
When my shift ended, I handed watch duty to Aqua.
Luckily, I slept soundly until morning—though Milfie seemed a little displeased.
"What’s wrong?"
"… Aqua never came to switch shifts with me. She said she couldn’t sleep, so she stood on watch."
"I see."
Well, things like that happen.
But the next night, when Milfie took down a monster by herself, Aqua had apparently cast support magic on her.
This couldn’t be a coincidence. Next time it was my turn on watch, I decided to test it.
"—Monster."
A quiet voice—one you wouldn’t hear unless you were already awake.
Then, Aqua’s eyes snapped open.
"Where?"
"… Just as I thought. Aqua, you can sleep, can’t you?"
"…W hat do you mean?"
"You were chanting magic, right? That spell—it’s the one that lets you stay awake, isn’t it? But it drains your mana."
This was a bluff. I know nothing about magic.
But somehow, I just knew.
Using mana drains you mentally. Physically, she’d be fine, but she should’ve been exhausted during the day.
And sure enough, Aqua admitted it.
Guess she’s bad at lying.
"Why’d you do that? Don’t you trust us?"
"… No. That’s not it."
"Then what is it?"
The first time we met, Aqua smiled at us.
But after that, never again.
She herself seemed puzzled that she’d even smiled back then.
Maybe she was scared of us?
But her answer surprised me.
"I’ve always been alone. Elves don’t feel emotions strongly, but for some reason, loneliness is the one thing I feel deeply. But lately… I’ve been feeling something warm. Like a gentle glow. Probably… something left in my heart from before. Watching you and Milfie… it makes me feel that warmth. It’s not that I don’t trust you. I just don’t want to regret it if something happens."
Finally, it made sense.
She was afraid.
And maybe, she understood now too.
"Hey, Milfie."
"—Oh? You knew, meow?"
"Yeah. You weren’t snoring."
"Ehehe."
Milfie must’ve been concerned too. Seriously, we think alike.
"I’m sorry. Because of me, you’ve probably been—"
Aqua’s expression darkened more than I’d ever seen.
But then, Milfie gently hugged her from behind.
"Sorry for not noticing. But… trust us, okay? No matter what happens, we won’t die. We’re strong. And from now on, we’ll always be together. So… rest easy."
Her words were tender, filled with warmth.
And for the first time, Aqua’s lips curled into what might’ve been the faintest smile.
"… Thank you. I understand. I’ll take you up on that and sleep."
"Yeah. Goodnight, Aqua. Milfie, you go back to sleep too."
"Meow!"
"Goodnight, Tabito."
As I watched their sleeping faces, I smiled.
I’m happy. I feel happy.
And then—I regretted it.
If only I’d hugged them too at that moment… I could’ve been sandwiched between two beauties.
That was my only chance… but my damn conscience said no… Ugh… Kuhh…
"… Nn…"
Then, Aqua turned in her sleep.
Breathing softly in a way I’d never heard before.
Behind her, Milfie clung to her tightly.
Hah. She smiles in her sleep, huh?
Man… she’s really a good kid.
I can barely remember the past.
But I guess my instincts were right.
Traveling with Milfie, Aqua, and Miss Bridget… it’s the best.
Honestly, past me, you’ve got a lot to be proud of.
But seriously, I still can’t remember.
Did I ever get to sandwich between beauties? I need to know…
—
Milfie
★★★★★
So happy, meow…
Aqua
★★★★★
Is this… what joy feels like? What safety feels like?
It’s kind of nostalgic.
Tabito
★★★★★
I’m traveling with the best two companions.
And the most beautiful women.
C’mon, past me, just tell me already.
What kind of amazing things happened back then?*
Hey—answer me.
ANSWER MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
What do you think about this chapter?
