The reunion with Rose was also the beginning of a new ordeal.

A mock battle to see how I had grown after my journey. I had to go head-to-head with Rose, who can be described as a monster, even more so than I am, to put it mildly.

To be honest, I can't even imagine what I can do.

But as much as I felt despair, I also wanted to know how well I could fight against Rose.

"Nair, your room is here."

After I finished talking with Rose and left the Commander's office, I woke Néa up from her stupor and took her to the room where she was going to live.

In the room to which I led her, Néa was in a bad mood.

"Hey, there's already someone in the room.

"The basic lifeguard unit is two people sharing a room. I'm no exception."

"I'd rather live with you than with some ...... stranger."

"You're a girl, after all. You can't share a room with a man and a woman.

Wait, why did you just say "just in case"?

He quickly avoids Nair's questioning and brings the futon into the room.

It would be a little strange to enter the room without the owner's permission, but I have Rose's permission, so there is no problem in terms of appearances.

Nair, who is holding a training suit that is the usual uniform of the lifeguard squad, stares at me with a glare.

"Don't look at me like that, it's a girl just like you who lives in this room.

"......"

I don't know why I was in an even worse mood.

I looked around the room, not understanding what it meant, but it seemed to be cleaned properly, the bedding on the bed was folded, and the room was well organized.

"...... hmmm, I guess I'll have to bring in a bed for Neah later."

It's clean now, but it used to be a storage room. I guess we'll just have to put up with it for now.

With this in mind, I put the futon in the space on the opposite side from where the bed is placed.

"Okay, this will do for now."

"--, I'm tired today, too. ......, hmm?"

"Hmm?"

A voice from behind.

I turned around and my eyes met those of a brown-skinned girl with silver hair and horns.

A few seconds later, she recognized me and Nair and backed away, her face blood reddening.

"Oh, oh, you guys! What are you doing in front of my room, ......, Usato?"

"Oh, I'm home. Ferrum.

"Oh, welcome back, not ......! Why of all people would you be in my room without permission! I mean, did you come home today?

Well, if I, a guy, was suddenly in my room, I would get angry.

Fellum's face turned red and he got angry, so I decided to apologize to him.

"Sorry about that. I just came back a few minutes ago and the reason I am in your room is that a new member of the group is going to live in the room with you from today.

"What?

He introduces Nair to Ferm, who is surprised and biting.

When Ferrum finds out about Néa, he points at her angrily, as expected.

Why do I have to live in the same room with this guy?

"That's my line! I don't want to live with a little guy like you!

"What the hell! You titty ghost!

"Shut up! You goat-head!

A few words of advice and a few words of criticism.

I knew there was going to be a fight, but I didn't expect it to go this far. ....... It's like watching an exchange with Amako.

Nair and Ferrum grab each other's clothes and start fighting, and I sigh as I pull them away.

"Okay, okay, let's not fight."

"Usato! I hate him! I don't like him!

"Ferrum may not have a big mouth, but he's just not very honest. You're older than him... you could at least turn a blind eye to that..."

"I don't like it when people get carried away."

Nair sighs as he turns his head away.

He's too young for this kind of mentality. I look at Ferrum, annoyed for a moment at the three hundred year old's apparent stubbornness.

He is as alert as a cat, but this one is easy to deal with.

"Ferrum, you want a convincing reason?"

"Yes!"

"Decisions of the Commander."

"...... d*mn!"

In an instant, his anger is defused and he holds his head in his hands.

Having experienced firsthand the horror of defying Rose, I can understand why he would do so.

The only thing to do now is to coax her without provoking her.

"Ferrum, you are the senior here, you should teach Nair some things."

"...... why don't you teach him. You've been on the road together. ...... together."

That's kind of a stinging way of putting it.

"I'll teach you too, but you're my roommate too, right? I'd like for us to be friends if possible. ......"

""I can't do that.""

I think we get along surprisingly well.

The two of them laugh at each other. They look like they don't get along well with each other, but they seem to be surprisingly compatible.

Just like Amako.

"Anyway, don't fight too much. I'm sure Ferrum knows that, but if the leader of the group catches you fighting, he's going to ........."

"If they find you, ......"

Nair, who clears his throat with a gurgling sound, shakes his head and says, "No.

"...... No, let's not say it. I don't want to scare you."

"Well, if you're going to say it like that, why don't you just say it? I'm even more scared now! What is that horrible woman going to do to me?

Néa is trembling, and Ferm looks pale, perhaps remembering the time when Rose was punishing her.

Seeing the two of them, I decided to go to my room.

"Well, I'm going to my room now. Oh, I heard that all the members of the lifeguard squad are going to get together for dinner today, so come earlier than usual, okay?

I told them and left the place.

There is still some time left before dinner, so after we get ...... dressed, we should rest a little until then.

I'll get some rest until then.

After returning to my room at the lifeguard station, I unpacked and changed my clothes, and decided to lie down on my bed for a short nap.

I have slept in all kinds of places, from the field to the beds in the kingdom, but I felt most comfortable in this bed and fell asleep in no time at all.

My roommate? I wake up with a poke from the tongs of my roommate, and I get up, unintentionally kicking at his strong face, which is too shocking to wake up from sleep.

"......wah...... is it this dark already?"

"You've got some nerve, flying your foot in my face when you see me ......!"

Kicking is enough for those who poke people in the head with force.

I was very offended, even though I had just woken up from sleep.

I saw the look on his face as if he had been up to some mischief, so I needn't have felt guilty.

"I thought you'd come back a little more polite, but you haven't changed your cocky attitude, hey!

"What? Polite? Is there any respect here for anyone other than the leader?"

Huh?

Ah?

They grab each other by the chest and glare at each other.

After a few seconds of silence, they let go and Tong's mouth quirked up.

"I guess you haven't learned much courtesy, but you're not a coward, are you?"

"Of course. How could I forget what I've been taught here so easily?"

No, it's not.

Every member of the group has experienced Rose's hellish training.

It's not just in your body, it's in your psyche, and it's not something you can just forget.

"Dinner. Almost everyone's already here."

"Okay. Then let's go now."

He leaves the room with Tongs and heads for the dining room.

While he was there, he decided to ask Tong about what was going on in the lifeguard corps.

"Did anything happen at the rescue team while I was gone?"

"No, nothing much happened except that Nack joined the rescue team. The only thing that happened was that Mill cooked some food. The only thing I can think of is that Mill made a dish or something on his own and made the leader mad.

My hands shake as I recall the horrific food scares that once took place in the rescue squad.

I can't forget the violence to my taste buds and the foreign feeling that even healing magic can't cure.

"Huh? He made something like that again. He never learns, does he?

"For my part, I'd like to know what I can make the Commander so angry!"

It's better if you don't know.

"Oh, oh."

After a short conversation with Tongs, we soon arrive near the entrance to the cafeteria.

There I find Nair, Ferrum, and two men and women, Olga and Uluru.

Uluru-san smiled and waved at me when he saw me.

"Ah, Usato! Welcome back!

"I'm home, Uluru-san. What happened to Nair and Ferrum ......?"

This woman is making me squirm ......

"I still don't like this guy. ......"

Nair and Ferrum tilt their heads back as if they are out of breath.

I let Tong go to the cafeteria first and ask them why they are in such a state.

"Well, you are good friends with Ferrum, aren't you?

"Yes. At first I was a little scared of them because they are demons, but once I met them, it wasn't that bad at all. In fact, their reactions were so cute that I ended up being mean to them.

Uluru-san strokes Ferrum's head with a familiar hand.

Fermu, on the other hand, looks really uncomfortable.

"Don't touch the corners! Don't touch my hair! Don't stroke my hair!

Uluru shrugs off his hand and runs into the cafeteria.

Uluru-san looks disappointed as he watches her run away, but then he grabs Nair, who tries to run away after Uluru-san, and captures her.

"Gufu!

"Hey, hey, this girl! I heard she's Usato-kun's messenger?

"Yes, her name is Nair. Please befriend her.

"Hey, Usato! This guy feels just like Suzune..."

"Neah, let's have dinner together! I have a lot of questions I want to ask you! Oh, just in time, there's a seat open next to Ferrum!"

No!

Don't come here!

You're so tough. Mr. Uluru.

Your cheerful personality is one of your strong points.

Well, for my part, I think it's a good thing that the friendship between Nair and Ferrum is expanding in the rescue group.

...... In that sense, Uluru's aggressive personality may be a good thing.

"Ha-ha-ha, Uluru is the same as ever."

"Ms. Olga."

"Welcome back, Usato. I'm glad you're back safe and sound."

Olga smiles at me, and I smile along with her.

How was your trip?

"It was hard, but I got a lot out of it. ...... Personally, I enjoyed it.

Olga nodded kindly at my words.

If you think so, I guess you must be right. I'd love to hear more about your trip, but I'll leave it to him ....... Yes."

"He ......?"

Olga's eyes turn behind me.

I looked behind him and saw Nack, a boy in a lifeguard training uniform, standing there with a look of surprise and joy combined.

"I thought it was a dream as usual, but this time it was different. ......! Usato, you're really back......!"

"I'm glad to see you here as a member of the lifeguard squadron, Nack. You look a little stockier now, don't you?"

I feel like I'm getting tougher.

I have seen you in Mearaq through the video, but I haven't seen you in person since we parted in Lucvis.

How's life at the rescue squad?

"It's not so hard anymore, it's so bad that I can't even think about it.

"Yes, yes, I understand. I totally understand. That's it. I can't even describe it.

"Yes!"

It's Rose's training that can't be expressed in words, so the word "hell" has to be substituted for the time being.

"But I'm still a child, so the training is not so severe," she says. Personally, it was more unreasonable than the training I received from Usato. ......"

"I'm the leader of the group. Well, he's a much more capable leader than I am, so I'm sure the results will be good."

......We should get moving, we can't keep talking at the entrance of the cafeteria.

Let's take a seat for now. We can talk as much as we want after that. Would you like to join us, Olga?"

"Yes, I guess so. Well, I guess I'll sit down too.

"Oh, well, I'll go get three seats!"

Nack runs into the cafeteria to get a seat and smiles at me.

You've really grown up a lot since you were in Lukvis, haven't you? When I first saw you, you seemed like a weak boy.

As someone who trained Nack for a while, I am happy to see his growth, but at the same time it makes me itchy.

"It really has become a lively place, hasn't it?

Ms. Olga, who was looking around the cafeteria next to me, muttered with deep emotion.

I looked again and saw that there were nine people in the cafeteria, including the five strongmen, Ferrum, Nair, Nack, and Uluru.

"Yes, that's right. ......"

"I'm so glad you're here."

"What?"

The sudden words make me look at Olga.

"Thanks to your coming, our ......, Rose-san's stopped time has finally started to move.

"Stopped time?"

"Yes, Mr. Rose, you, Mr. Usato, you are--"

Olga-san was about to continue speaking in response to my question, but then a nuclear boulder was slammed into his head.

"Whoa! and Rose, our leader, was standing behind her with an expression of displeasure on her face.

"Don't say unnecessary things!

"I'm sorry. ......"

Even Rose, who is a stone, was taking it easy on the weak Mr. Olga, and she quickly stood up and glared at him.

Ms. Olga shifted her gaze to me with a twitchy smile on her face.

"Haha, so that's what I'm going to do. ......"

"Yes, yes. ......"

I look over at Olga's back as she walks to the seat Nack has prepared for her, holding her head.

What was Olga trying to say? Was she going to say that I am Rose's ...... sandbag, or that I am her number one student? 

Personally, I'm glad to hear the latter, but I guess it's not such a sweet thing to say.

"......Hey, Usato, how long are you going to stand there like that? Take your seat quickly.

"Oh, okay."

"Oh, and--"

As I was about to turn around, Rose continued to speak.

"Today is also a celebration of your return. It's okay to cut loose for a little while, but don't leave tomorrow tired.

Yes, sir!

After bowing, he takes his seat this time.

I don't need to think about what I am to Rose. Perhaps it will be revealed to me by Rose herself at the appropriate time.

So I will just go about my daily life as a lifeguard until that time comes.

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