Laurier walked beneath the sunlight, feeling that the white clouds overhead looked very much like the young man's smile.
To reforge his weapon, Bell needed to collect strands of women's hair.
The more, the better, but hair from the same person could not stack its effect. And as material for an [Encounter], the person had to have known the young man before the broken blade.
This was a true God-made weapon, an unknown event that had never occurred in all of history. If it were exposed, it would surely invite all kinds of trouble.
Because of that, aside from his lovers, Bell could only explain the full story to a very small number of women.
If he wanted to obtain hair from the other girls, he would have to rely on deception or theft.
Naturally, the young man would never choose such a method.
That was why Laurier had decided to take that sin upon herself and become the [bad person].
As long as she collected the girls' hair and placed it before the young man, Bell would surely consider his lover's efforts and be forced to compromise.
After all, when it came to forging the blade, this would only help and bring no harm.
Laurier looked up at the sign of the [Hostess of Fertility] and brought her thoughts back to reality.
"We're not open yet, ma'am... Huh? Laurier-san? Are you here to see Syr?"
Lunoire had been about to send the visitor away, but after seeing who it was, she politely opened the door.
As the young man's lover, Laurier often came to discuss things with Syr. The previous [Holy War] incident was one such example.
"No, I'm here for Chloe-san."
Laurier got straight to the point.
"Then go on up. Chloe ate Syr's cooking and is slacking off upstairs."
Lunoire pointed toward the room deeper inside the second floor.
"Thank you."
Laurier thanked her softly and went up the stairs.
...
"Nya?"
When Chloe heard footsteps, her whole body jolted. "I'm done for, nya! There's no way I can work today, nya!"
"...Chloe-san?"
Laurier thought something had happened, but when she opened the door, she found the catgirl with her head buried in the sheets like a spoiled child.
"You're the boy's girlfriend, nya? Did he ask you to come check on me, nya?"
Chloe immediately perked up.
"Mm..."
Laurier lied without changing expression.
She had no idea what had happened, but her instincts told her that if she wanted to obtain the catgirl's hair, she had to answer with a lie right now.
"So the boy does have me in his heart, nya..."
Chloe sat up on the bed, her slender tail swaying from side to side.
"Is Syr's cooking really that bad?"
Laurier made use of the information she had gotten from Lunoire.
"Nya, my tongue went numb, nya! But for the boy's sake, I endured it to the very end, nya!"
Facing an Elf girl she was not very familiar with, Chloe was actually much more honest.
Since the young man was recovering from his injuries, Chloe naturally would not allow Syr to send him such dreadful cooking. For that reason, she had switched out the basket during the visit.
After the people at the tavern ate Syr's cooking, Chloe not only suffered Syr's punishment, but also had to endure the resentment of her coworkers.
As long as the young man was safe, that was enough...
Chloe was not moved by her own sacrifice, but to her, the fact that the young man's lover had come to visit was already enough.
"..."
Laurier looked at the catgirl in front of her and could not help recalling the information related to her.
Chloe's file contained many hidden secrets, and the information about her faintly pointed to her once being a top-class assassin.
But looking at her now, she was simply an extremely innocent girl...
Laurier set aside her thoughts and said softly, "Chloe-san, I actually have some dried fish Bell made himself. I can give it all to you."
When Adventurers explored the Dungeon, they often prepared food that was easy to preserve. The dried fish Bell made was one of those foods.
Laurier had always carried it with her, but she had never been able to bring herself to eat it.
Now, as a gift for visiting the catgirl, it was perfect.
"Really, nya? Can I really have it, nya?"
Chloe's tail swayed a little faster.
"Mm. But in exchange, I'd like one strand of your hair. Is that all right?"
Laurier stated her purpose.
"A strand of hair? Of course, nya. I thought you wanted something serious, and it scared me so much a fishbone nearly got stuck in my throat, nya."
Chloe used a strange catperson metaphor to describe how anxious she had just felt.
Even if it were one strand of hair for one piece of dried fish, she would gladly make the trade.
Because of Syr and her own personality, Chloe rarely had the chance to interact with the young man.
But thinking carefully, when Ryuu first went to Bell's home, Chloe had made the food. When Syr went to visit him, Chloe had also made the food then.
Looking at it that way, when it came to cooking, there were all sorts of subtle ties between Chloe and the young man.
"Nya~ I can smell the boy's scent, nya!"
Chloe traded her hair for the dried fish without hesitation. Even without opening the food bag, she happily sniffed the scent clinging to it.
"Ugh..."
Laurier carefully put away the black strand of hair and looked at the delighted catgirl.
Although it felt somewhat inappropriate, she could not help thinking that the way Chloe leaned forward and sniffed from side to side looked a little indecent...
"Chloe-san, there is something I have to tell you. I lied just now..."
Laurier confessed her wrongdoing.
"Ah, I know, nya. After all, if the boy really cared about me, he definitely wouldn't ask someone else to come see me, nya."
Chloe smiled faintly. "So I'll wait for the boy to come visit me himself, then properly demand compensation from him, nya~"
"..."
Laurier realized she had underestimated this girl.
How could a former assassin who had once struck fear into people be deceived by such a crude lie?
"If you saw through me, why did you accept the trade?"
Laurier asked curiously.
"The answer is simple, nya. I don't know what you plan to do with my hair, but it must be something that benefits the boy, nya. On that point, you and I are on the same side, nya."
After answering, Chloe stuck out her tongue and licked the flavorful dried fish.
She was like a real, adorable kitten. First, she tested the taste, then impatiently took it into her mouth.
The catgirl licked and sucked at it again and again, then finally licked her lips with lingering reluctance.
Laurier finally understood what she had felt just now.
It was not that Chloe's movements were indecent. Rather, Laurier had met someone of the same kind and had instinctively imagined herself interacting with the young man...
"Chloe-san, could it be that, like me, you have a special taste when it comes to Bell?"
Laurier blurted out the question.
"Nya? Are you the same, nya?"
Chloe did not deny it.
"Mm. Actually, I like..."
Laurier's lips curved upward as she slowly revealed her own preference.
No one knew about the private conversation between the two girls.
On this day, a strange duo was born in Orario.
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