“Ah, hello.”

The visitor was a cute girl with curly hair that looked roasted, tied in two braids.

The clothes the girl wore were shabby but clean.

The face of the woman, who looked slightly younger than Yerena, was somehow familiar.

I felt like I knew her, but I still asked about her identity.

“Who are you?”

“I was too disoriented then to properly greet you. I’m Bonnie, Marco’s sister. Thank you so much for before.”

Bonnie, who was born with poor health!

She looked like she had recovered her strength with the medicine we had provided.

Marco, recognizing Bonnie, called out to her. Soon after, I got up from my desk and approached Bonnie.

“Sister!”

“Marco. I’m sorry for coming unannounced.”

I took Bonnie’s hands and led her to the sofa.

“Nice to see you, Bonnie. I’m so glad you’ve recovered. Don’t stand, come sit here.”

As I sat on the sofa with Bonnie, Marco scurried over to sit beside his sister.

“Bonnie, please call me Anya. You can just call me Master!”

“Yes. I’ve heard a lot about Master from my brother. Not only did you give my brother a job, but you even paid for my medicine… How can I ever repay this kindness?”

“It’s fine! I needed an employee anyway, and the medicine was paid for with Marco’s advance salary. I’m actually fortunate to have Marco by my side. Being from the capital, I was quite lonely here without any friends.”

Of course, I wasn’t too lonely with Bless, who I could talk to, but anyway, that was just to express how much I appreciated Marco.

“Cough cough. Still, isn’t there something I can do to repay you? I know Philia Islands well like Marco… and… I also know a lot about the Pandora Forest.”

“Pandora Forest?”

That caught my interest.

Because our current plan involved crossing the Pandora Forest.

“Yes, since I spent many days bedridden, I read books about the Pandora Forest during those times. I’m interested in that area.”

“….”

“Did you know that although the gates seem to appear randomly and sporadically, if you look carefully, they appear frequently in specific areas? And there are also areas where gates almost never appear?”

“I didn’t know that.”

Despite being deployed to Pandora Forest day after day, I didn’t know such facts. I was only focused on surviving.

“Could my knowledge be helpful for the transportation business, Master?”

“That would be incredibly helpful!”

With Bonnie’s knowledge, we could secure the shortest route from the Philia Islands to the capital. And even ensure that the route would be safe.

Employee No. 2 was right here…?

I considered whether I could afford to pay Bonnie a salary, too.

Though it might be difficult right now, if the deal with Count Scott goes well, I should be able to manage two employees.

‘I must succeed with this deal.’

Somehow, I need to succeed so I can pay both Bonnie and Marco their salaries and get Bonnie’s medicine to help cure her illness.

Of course, I could have ignored these curly-haired siblings if I only thought about my circumstances.

But I couldn’t ignore Marco, who somehow reminded me of my sibling, and the pitiful and fragile Bonnie.

If we hadn’t formed a connection, that would be one thing. But I wasn’t cold-hearted enough to ignore people I had formed bonds with.

“Then Bonnie, I’m trying to close a deal right now, and if it succeeds, would it be alright if I hired you? But will your health be okay?”

“Hi-hire me! I just wanted to help…”

“I can’t exploit exceptional knowledge for free.”

“If you’ll hire me, I’m the one who should be grateful. Cough cough As for my health, as long as I take my medicine regularly, I shouldn’t collapse like before.”

“I’ll help make sure you take that medicine on time.”

I firmly grasped Bonnie’s thin hand.

“Master, thank you so much. And please feel free to speak casually with me.”

“Yes, Bonnie!”

At that moment, I felt my watch vibrate.

With this specially made couple watch, there was only one person who could contact me. I pressed the ‘communicate’ button without hesitation.

[It’s me.]

The shameless greeting from the Guildmaster, who didn’t identify themselves, was nothing but welcome.

“How did our matter go?”

[It seems to have gone well. Count Scott said he would like to meet you.]

“I knew it! I knew it would work out. It’s a proposal that’s completely beneficial for both sides. The islands get their needed supplies quickly, and I make money!”

[It’s thanks to the lovely Duncan, who spoke so well. What an outstanding man.]

“Yes. I never doubt Duncan’s ability to handle matters.”

[Hahaha! Count Scott’s messenger will visit you soon. I’ll also head down to the Philia Islands early tomorrow.]

“I’m happy for you to come, but is it okay for you to visit this often? Are things alright in the capital?”

[Although the new branch manager Anya only has Director Ma as an employee, our guild has many employees like Deputy Director Cha, Manager Ae, Assistant Manager Big, and so on. The guild won’t have any problems just because I’m gone for a bit.]

Wait a minute.

Deputy Director Cha, Manager Ae, Assistant Manager Big…? What are all these titles about?

“What are these unfamiliar job titles?”

[Aren’t these the titles you taught me? I liked how they sounded, so I applied them to the guild as well.]

Oh please. It seems mentioning Director Ma and explaining the job titles from where I lived before was the root of this problem.

Hmph, I won’t lose at this game.

Looking at Bonnie, who would become Employee No. 2, I replied.

“I have a new Director Bo too!”

Since Bonnie is Marco’s sister, being a director wouldn’t be bad for her.

Then the Guildmaster spoke in a disapproving voice.

[Director Bo…? Don’t tell me it’s another man?]

“What do you mean ‘another’? People will think I only hire men.”

[Well, Bless is male, and Marco is a man too…]

“Bless is a bird and Marco is just a boy! And Director Bo is a woman! She’s Marco’s sister.”

[Ah. The person I saw before. Then I’m relieved.]

What a strange man, anyway.

Who is he to check whether my employees are men or women? It’s not like he likes me or anything.

[I thought you were hinting that I shouldn’t visit often because you got two male employees. So…]

The Guildmaster hesitated to continue, trailing off.

[I thought you didn’t want me visiting anymore.]

“Wh-who said they didn’t want that…?”

[I want to see you.]

“…!”

Has this person really gone mad?

I shrieked like someone who’d been caught liking the Guildmaster.

“That’s all for today’s communication!”

[Haha…]

I could hear the Guildmaster’s laughter until I cut off the communication.

He seemed to be in high spirits all by himself, not even knowing my feelings.

Why is he so annoying?

Even while resenting him, the words “I want to see you” kept echoing in my ears.

It felt like he had whispered his longing right into my ear, making the tips of my ears burn hot.

“B-Bless! Let’s go for a walk together.”

I wanted to clear my head with the sea breeze.

Bless followed my words well as usual.

—Kyuu!

‘Yes!’

If there was one problem, it was that Bless, who had grown quite accustomed to Marco, was reluctant to leave his curly hair.

Despite the energetic response, Bless’s movements toward me were rather slow.

“Director Ma and Bonnie, could you watch the branch for a bit? I’ll be back soon.”

“Yes, Master!”

The siblings answered in unison and gave me suspicious smiles.

They must have heard the Guildmaster’s “I want to see you” and were reacting to that.

Why do I have to bear all the embarrassment…?

As I stormed out of the branch grumbling, I saw the sunset.

Looking at the sea dyed in beautiful sunset colors seemed to calm my excited heart.

It felt like the whirlwind in my heart had disappeared. I felt as peaceful as if I’d just meditated.

As my mind and body relaxed, one man naturally came to mind. A man deeply connected to the sunset.

I wondered how Duncan, whom I hadn’t met since coming here, was doing.

I hoped Rosie and the three ruffians weren’t bothering him again.

“I hope he’s doing well, too.”

While wishing for Duncan’s well-being who had helped me again this time, I walked slowly along the beach.

Then something hit my foot.

I stopped walking and looked down at my feet.