The D-Rank Guild Master of the No. 1 Guild

Kanel, being a gunslinger, was apparently fascinated by all kinds of guns, so he bought both real and toy guns to decorate his personal room. Unahar, interestingly enough, wanted to learn a musical instrument.

“Rudel, which instrument should I pick?”

“Anything you feel drawn to.”

I gave a nonchalant response.

I knew I shouldn’t be so dismissive. Unahar wasn’t particularly resilient emotionally, and he might get hurt by my indifference. But since I became aware of Unahar’s feelings, I couldn’t talk to him as easily as before, fearing he might think I was giving him false hope.

[Name] Unahar

[Emotional State] Pounding Heart

Luckily, Unahar was adept at keeping a poker face, so he didn’t constantly display such an emotional state. Otherwise, dealing with him would have been more uncomfortable. Fortunately, despite my indifferent response, Unahar, perhaps enjoying the rare leisure, chose the piano without much concern.

Meanwhile, Lilith was browsing ornamental plants through her status window.

“Rudel! I want to grow some plants from the shop! Can I add a room on the first floor with my points to grow them?”

“Oh, I’ll cover the cost of adding the room with my points. Plants are a great idea.”

Lilith, excitedly exploring the plant section, soon exclaimed in delight.

“This bean tree grows 30 cm a day! Isn’t that awesome? I want to grow this one.”

I clapped and agreed enthusiastically.

“Really? That’s amazing. Make sure to show me how it’s growing!”

I’ll definitely need to carry a self-defense weapon every time I enter that room in the future.

Lastly, I looked at Akata, who turned away indifferently, showing no interest in points or anything else. I didn’t intend to pressure him to decide how to use his points or force him to find something he wanted to do.

I wanted to slowly show Akata all the good things available.

“Akata, if you don’t have anything to do, stay with me.”

At my suggestion, the boy’s eyes lit up as he approached. Holding Akata’s hand as he sat beside me, I thought to myself,

I hope during this short period where training is prohibited, he can build good memories and get closer to the guild members.

* * *

Clang, clang.

For the fifth time today, I was found by Unahar and dragged away after trying to shake the firmly locked training room door in the underground of the fortress.

“It’s the training prohibition period. Shaking the doorknob won’t make it open.”

“I know that too.”

I knew, but I just found myself lingering near the training room.

“Rudel, if you really don’t know what to do, why don’t you play the piano with me? I’m just starting to learn the notes too…”

“Hmm, no. I don’t think I can focus on learning anything right now. I just want to sit here.”

“Alright.”

I missed it so much. The enemy mannequins in the training room, the floors that were endlessly restored no matter how much damage they took. Even the treadmills and well-worn exercise equipment in the gym…

Unable to soothe my restlessness, I started doing squats and sit-ups pointlessly, knowing full well that my stats wouldn’t increase.

Why are my hands and feet trembling? Why am I feeling anxious? If I don’t keep busy, the emptiness inside becomes unbearable.

“Hmm…”

Lilith, who had appeared at some point, looked down at me with a concerned expression. She seemed to pity me, suffering from training withdrawal symptoms. Feeling mischievous, I pulled her hand and put on a sly grin like a scheming character.

“Lilith, I think I’d feel much better if you stayed by my side.”

But Lilith had already promised to go to the shop district with Gio to look at plants. Explaining the situation, she looked at me with apologetic eyes.

I laughed softly.

“Just kidding. You can go wherever you want.”

Honestly, I wasn’t in a position to complain about her not staying with me. Considering how much I had left Lilith alone while running around for rankings and training…

But still, I felt a tiny bit hurt. Lilith having someone she liked more than me made me feel somewhat lonely.

Just then, Gio happened to be passing by the sofa where I was sitting, about to come within one meter of Lilith. Seizing the moment, I slyly extended one foot.

“Ouch!”

“Rudel, are you okay?”

My ankle throbbed after hitting Gio’s leg. I had tried to trip him, but instead, I felt like I had kicked a rock. Clutching my leg in pain, I let out a cry, and Lilith rushed over in concern.

‘Can’t even trip a guy with base stats of A.’

Lilith glared at Gio. Normally, he would have looked back defiantly as if to say, ‘You’re the one who tripped me,’ but under Lilith’s glare, he seemed to wilt as if he had committed a grave mistake.

‘Fine, I’ll let it slide this time.’

I thought, hoping Gio would be a good bodyguard during their shopping trip and that there would be no trouble from other characters, and no romance either.

Even though Gio was there, Lilith couldn’t leave easily, worried about my withdrawal symptoms and the calf injury from the failed trip. Then, suddenly, she exclaimed as if she had a brilliant idea.

“Akata!”

She called out, running off.

I wondered if Akata would comply with her request, but surprisingly, he followed her without much fuss.

To be precise, I should say Akata was dragged here. Lilith handed me Akata’s hand, which she had been dragging along, and sat him down on the sofa next to me.

It felt like a shackle of sorts.

But it was a brilliant prescription from Lilith, our guild’s lifestyle manager. Holding Akata’s hand definitely alleviated my restlessness.

…Wait? Akata is holding my hand? Not the other way around?

I glanced to the side and met the gentle gaze of Akata, who had his head resting on the sofa, looking at me.

If this boy hadn’t opened his heart to me, I might not have known.

There are people in the world who feel immense joy just from my presence, from simply being there with them.

I turned my gaze away and stared up at the ceiling.

I’ve held Akata’s hand so many times that now, just by touching his hand, I could recognize his presence.

My hand twitched a little.

‘Yes, right now Akata and I are in the same situation. I’m not in a position to give something to Akata.’

We both have ample time and entertainment funds but don’t know what to do and feel empty, just like Akata and me.

In this respect, I’m no better than Akata.

I wanted to help Akata build his social circle during this downtime…

At first, I thought about having Akata spend more time with other guild members, but it might feel unnatural for him and them. It could end up making things awkward instead of helping them bond naturally.

The simplest way to increase sociability is to meet and interact with as many people as possible.

‘Should I introduce him to new people? Wait, didn’t we have a bright and sociable boy around Akata’s age in our subordinates’ group?’

Just as I was deep in thought, Akata leaned his head against me, as if telling me to stop thinking. I didn’t push him away and looked down at the top of his head.

A warm scent wafted from his close body.

Come to think of it, when Akata turned into his adult form at night, he had a slightly different scent…

‘Enough, stop thinking.’

I shook my head and looked around, trying to change the topic.

“Doesn’t the living room feel a bit empty?”

It was a thoughtless comment, but suddenly I realized that redecorating the entire pension might not be a bad idea. Just like how Lilith wanted to add a room and create an indoor garden.

“To me, it looks clean and pretty.”

“No, I’m not indirectly saying the pension is as empty as me. I mean, doesn’t it really look a bit bare?”

Our pension, though sleek like a Jeju Island villa, lacked any notable decorations in the living room, making it look as empty as I felt. Although I gave all five guild members points to spend as they wished, none seemed interested in interior decoration.

Since I was feeling a bit bored, maybe I should spruce it up a bit?

“Akata, do you want to help?”

The boy’s pale face flushed with excitement, and a radiant smile spread across his lips.

Even I, who had grown immune to the charms of many beautiful characters, found myself breathless at his newfound joy.

I cleared my throat and shared my status window with Akata. We browsed the remote shop for interior items, discussing and sharing our thoughts on each item. After selecting some pieces, we quickly went to the shop to pick them up.

“Look at this star-shaped carpet. Isn’t it unique? I think it’s fresh and nice.”

“Yes, I like it.”

The once empty living room gradually filled up with the touches from Akata and me. Decorating and sharing smiles with Akata felt genuinely delightful.

“What about sticking these flower-shaped decals here?”

“Oh, that’s a great idea. It will make it bright and cheerful.”

When it came time to put the decals up on the high wall, I offered to do it since I was 10 centimeters taller than Akata. However, Akata wanted to do it himself by standing on a chair. Feeling anxious, I held the chair steady and also supported Akata’s waist with my other arm to ensure his safety.

As I watched Akata, intensely focused with his lips pressed together, a thought slipped out.

“You’re so pretty and well-mannered.”

At that moment, Akata wobbled a bit. Good thing I was holding him steady.

“By the way, Akata, once we’re done with the decorating, how about coming with me to meet someone?”

I had been thinking that suddenly proposing “Let’s make new friends!” might scare Akata due to his social anxiety. So, I planned to pretend I had a meeting, take Akata along, and then suddenly remember a “busy errand” and leave him with the new person. I hoped that Nahean, the most sociable member of our guild, would take care of the rest.

Trusting Nahean, our guild’s best socialite, I proceeded with my plan.