Bid looked utterly exhausted.
Riv guided him to the sofa in the living room.
We moved to the living room along with the tea set.
The living room had a long black table and white sofas.
"Well... it's nothing special, but..."
Riv poured tea into a cup and placed it in front of Bid.
"Th-thanks."
Bid was completely deflated. He reached for the cup, then stopped.
He hung his head. Hmm. The atmosphere was heavy.
"Bid. What do you mean by disbanding?"
Lupinus asked after taking a sip of tea.
That was her—cutting straight to the point without reading the room.
"...After we got back, everyone was worn out from various things, so we decided to take a break from activities for a while. We definitely did need the rest. The leader, who'd been with Agaro, was tired too. And Krutton and Romomo, who'd been left behind and had to come back to the surface on their own—same story. We were the same way."
We'd also taken about six days off after returning.
That was only natural.
"Well... that part's the same everywhere..."
"At first it was four days off. Then we were supposed to take on a few quests."
"Rough."
"...Hard work..."
"I think it's fine to rest a little longer."
"Actually, the only noble supporting us, 'The Brave,' went bankrupt for some reason, and we suddenly became poor."
"Didn't you apply for a base?"
If they did, there should have been various benefits.
"We did, but the payments have eaten almost all of it."
"Payments?"
"That's right. We were using the support funds for that. So we covered living expenses with commissions. It was working out just fine."
"But then you lost your sponsor, and those payments couldn't be met either, so you fell into poverty, I see."
"Hmm... paying that much money... what kind of payments..."
That's the part that's interesting.
Bid drinks from her cup.
"It's a good flavor. This is my favorite kind."
"Wof mixed that tea."
"Wof-kun did? It's delicious. The payments are—actually, the party 'The Brave' was inherited by the leader from the previous one. They inherited the party house too, but it was in serious disrepair and needed fixing. So they got it repaired, but the repair costs turned out to be an outrageous amount."
"So those are the payments you're referring to."
"I see. That makes sense."
"But the repairs were originally supposed to be paid for by the previous leader. So the leader agreed to the major renovations. But before the repairs were finished, the previous leader died suddenly, and the payment for the repairs fell through."
"Wasn't a contract signed?"
"Well, for such a large sum, even between acquaintances, they should have signed a contract."
"Hmm... even among close friends... proper etiquette applies..."
Our logic hit home, and Bidd hung his head. He let out a deep sigh.
"That's... that's right... normally you would, wouldn't you... you're supposed to..."
"You didn't do it?"
"There was nothing we could do about it."
"...Riv has nothing... to say about this..."
Well, that couldn't be helped.
"Hmm. So, is that the reason for disbanding?"
"No."
"It isn't?"
"Not related at all."
Then what had all that talk just been about?
We'd just been listening to stories about what other party leaders got up to.
"Ah... Bidd... what's the reason you're disbanding?"
"Marriage."
"Huh?"
"Two of our members, Crouton and Romomo, are getting married. Somehow that just... happened."
"Well now, that's cause for celebration."
"Oh, how lovely!"
"...Congratulations..."
"I mean, normally that's how it goes, right?"
"But wouldn't that be romance within the party? Didn't 'The Brave' have a rule against that?"
Lupinus asked.
I'd heard that romance within a party causes all sorts of problems, so a lot of groups prohibit it.
My group's all women, so that sort of thing hasn't really been an issue... yet.
Bitt managed a dry smile.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha... We didn't have one... 'Cause nobody ever thought that'd be a thing... y'know? Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha..."
"Well, I suppose so."
"You can't very well blame them."
"Hmm... so... why break up over it? Even after getting married, you could keep going."
Riv had a point.
If children came along, sure, it'd get complicated. But they'd only just tied the knot — they should've been able to keep going.
"That's the thing. Like I said, it started as four days. Then Crouton and Romomo's schedules got in the way and it became six. When it went to six, their schedules conflicted again, and it got pushed to eight. Then today, they just up and announced they're getting married. And on top of that, they're both quitting being delvers, one right after the other. Apparently Crouton's taking over the family farm. So Romomo's going with him."
"So it was today, then."
"All I can say is congratulations, I suppose."
"Hmm..."
"But if she comes back, 'The Brave' could keep going with three, right?"
'The Brave' already had a member who'd returned to their hometown.
So I thought disbanding over two people leaving was premature.
Bitt drained his cup.
"That's the thing, Leader. Romomo had a thing for Crouton."
"Well, what can you say."
Nothing to say.
Lupinus wore a bitter expression too, and Riv threw her hands up in resignation.
"She was completely deflated — like 'ugh, forget it' — and said she wanted to disband."
"...And Bitt, you didn't try to stop her?"
"Honestly, I had my reservations. But the leader said 'I'll go tell them' and headed out, so I had no choice but to get the full story from Crouton and Romomo. The two of them started dating after we got back from the anomaly subjugation — if you can believe it. And then, within eight days, they decided to get married. The biggest trigger was when Crouton nearly died. Since he'd never been pushed that close to death before, and between taking the delver life a bit for granted — not the best way to put it, I know — and things going too smoothly, the danger of the job had sort of slipped his mind. Romomo was the same way."
"So feeling the real danger of death, they decided to quit."
"Having things go too smoothly ended up working against them."
"...I kind of get that..."
"Yeah. I mean, we're a timid bunch, but we're not looking to blame anyone."
"No one's to be blamed here."
"Aegis is to be pitied, though."
"Mm..."
"So I think the disbanding was inevitable, but I suddenly got hit with anxiety. What am I supposed to do now? Everything went dark, and I wanted to talk to someone, so I came to Torquetam..."
With their guide gone and their path vanished, they came running to us. That's the gist of it.
"Hm. Then, Bitt — would you come to 'Torquetam'?"
"W-Wait, me?"
"Hey! That's what I was going to say! That's not fair!"
"Mm... even Riv was going to say it, huh..."
"Don't be silly. Anyone can say it, can't they? So, how about it? Your rank would be one step lower, but we recognize your long-range suppression capability, and we know your character well. Above all, you get along well with Riv. That black jacket — Riv gave it to you, didn't she?"
The jumper that Bid is wearing was something Riv gave her.
Back when they did a joint quest with the Zan Brave, there was an accident where her clothes got torn. That's when Riv put it on her — and that's how it started.
"Mm... the jumper... proof of comradeship..."
"The jumper. It's a fine thing and I treasure it... Hmm. Pakira's invitation makes me happy, but I'll hold off on joining a party for a while."
"I see. Is that so?"
I'd figured it was a coin flip whether she'd turn us down.
They only just dissolved, so I can understand how she feels.
"I'll be going solo for a while."
"Mm. If anything comes up, don't hesitate to come to me."
"Mm... Bid is a comrade..."
"When things get tough, we help each other out."
"Everyone... thank you..."
Tears welled up faintly in Bid's eyes.
"Silly girl. Don't cry."
"I'm not crying."
Bid rubbed her eyes furiously. Good grief.
"Come to think of it, what about Aegis?"
"The leader said she was going to deliver the news, so she's probably gone to report the dissolution to Mika, who's back home. She won't be back for a while — her hometown is far from here. Maybe she's thinking of it as a kind of grief trip, in that sense."
"What about the party house?"
"Who knows? The leader will probably figure something out. Now that we've dissolved and the base registration is voided, it'll probably go up for sale before long. It's got nothing to do with us anymore."
That may be so, but Bid does seem a bit ticked off.
Lupinus suddenly took on a thoughtful expression.
"— Bid. Is that party house comfortable?"
"Pretty comfy, yeah. Not too big, not too small. Just the right scale, and when we did repairs, we worked in some Legendary-grade stuff."
"What did you say?"
"What kind of Legendary-grade amenities are installed?"
"Well, you turn the faucet and water comes right out. The kitchen's straight out of the royal capital's latest models — it's this thing called a system kitchen, and the stove and everything lights up with a single switch. There's an oven too, plus a washing machine and a refrigerator. The bath is a full bathing hall and really spacious."
"Hmm… the height of luxury…"
"That'd cost a fortune, now wouldn't it."
"………Would the rest of the repairs be covered by the sale price?"
"Yeah. That's the only option. Whether it'll be enough is another story, though."
Lupinus. She's been awfully proactive about this.
Well, I can more or less guess what she's thinking.
"Pakira. Riv. What do you think? I believe we should buy it."
"You… I knew you were going to say that."
"Mm… I knew you were going to say that…"
"What is it?"
"Pakira. Riv. That's settled, then."
Lupinus pressed once more. Hmm. There was one problem.
"Without knowing the price, there's not much we can say."
"Mmm… that works…"
"Then, Bid. I shall write a letter this instant. You do know where Mika's hometown is, yes?"
"I know it, but what's this about?"
Bid tilted her head suspiciously.
Lupinus spoke proudly.
"If you're amenable, that party house of yours. Make it Torquetam's base of operations."
"W-Wait… you're serious!?"
"Of course. That settles it, then. You two as well?"
Riv and I exchanged glances. I gave a faint, wry smile.
"Assuming we can file the base application and actually receive that support."
"…Minimum condition…"
"Very well."
"Ah, right. And there's one more thing."
"What might that be?"
"A message to our biggest supporter."
At that, Lupinus — who clearly already knew what was coming — pulled a face for just a moment.
Can't be helped. Something this important has to be reported, after all.
"…F-Fine. I'll write a letter for that as well."
"It's the leader's job, after all. Besides, it's your family we're talking about."
"……Spinach……important."
"Spinach, you say?"
"Mmm... Report... Contact... Consult..."
"I see..."
"Oh, how interesting indeed."
Isn't that a fine word? Indeed. Lupinus.