I walked around town with a stupid look on my face, having lost half of my allowance and wondering what had happened. But at least, I could still see my reflection in the glass.
"Hayato!" An echo spread and drew closer with every passing second. Since I was half-confused, I couldn't even react to the unexpected blow I received on my back. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I could have smashed into the ground if I hadn't reacted in time. I already knew who it was; only one person had a screw that loose.
"It's good to see you, Aoi. Long day?"
Aoi placed her arms on her hips. "Rejoice! The great noble, Aoi, honors you with her presence."
"Same as always. I see"
I turned to look ahead; Gell had the face of a clown and a drooling idiot. "You know those tricks don't work on me," I commented, disguising my annoyance with the most neutral tone I could muster. "I see you've already tamed your little prince," I said while observing Gell.
At which Aoi almost knocked me down again, clinging to the collar of my shirt with a blushing face. "W-we aren't... well," she replied, or at least tried to do so.
"Same trick, same results," I thought out loud.
Aoi ran away to hide behind Gell, who looked more lost than a fish on dry land. "Oh? When did you arrive, Hayato?" he commented.
"About five minutes ago; seriously, you two... No, it doesn't matter. Ultimately, it's funny," I replied. We waited patiently for Aoi to calm down; she was good at teasing, but taking it and playing along with jokes wasn't her style. You wouldn't believe it by looking at her, but she threw my dagger into the river just because she tore her tunic trying to practice with it.
"Have you calmed down yet?" I questioned, but she remained clinging to Gell's coat. Every time she got upset, I couldn't help but see her more as an adorable little girl than a spoiled noble. They were such a peculiar duo that, without lying, I never got bored being by their side.
Already calmed down, Aoi coughed a little to get attention. "Gell told me you had something important to tell me. What is it about?"
Confused, I looked at Gell in search of an answer, but the only thing I got was the urge to hit him for the stupid face he had. "Hey, can young master Lorgell Agni come down from the clouds?" I exclaimed with the most irony I could muster.
Gell came back to his senses, accompanied by a wrinkled face and palpable annoyance. "Call me that again and I'll throw your new dagger into the river myself," he replied.
Aoi became agitated and looked like she was going to cry. "Haven't I been forgiven for that?" Aoi exclaimed, somewhat scared.
For a moment, I wanted to joke with her, but I could no longer contain my eagerness to show off the medal. "Don't worry about it, Aoi... at least give me the letter, you idiot." I locked my gaze on Gell. "If you want me to tell her..."
Gell smiled. "The thing is, I lost it."
After giving Gell a well-deserved beating, I deigned to explain the whole situation to Aoi as best as I could; I had the feeling she hadn't understood me. In the end, it took me a couple of hours to explain something that anyone else could have understood in minutes. Perhaps she couldn't conceive the idea that, with our reputation, we had both been accepted by a serious institution like the guild of the golden petals.
"Are you playing a cruel joke on me?" she stammered in a dull tone.
Confused, Gell and I exchanged glances, as if deciding who would get serious and confirm the information. "Yes, it's serious. I received the notification myself from the receptionist," Gell explained in a gentle voice. Subsequently, he showed the letter to Aoi.
"Hmm, it seems to be true, the handwriting doesn't look like hieroglyphics, so it's not from either of you two," she affirmed.
Hearing her say that, both of us got annoyed; but, when I heard Gell take her side, I couldn't contain my rage and decided to bother them both. "Did you know that Gell started flirting with the baker? I heard he threw a hundred different compliments at her, quite the ladies' man, right?" I commented.
If I had to describe what came next, what would be the correct way? I think the best description I can come up with is: It was similar to seeing a super-aggressive dwarf take out her anger on a rock or on thin air. And it wasn't so far from reality, considering Gell preferred to let himself be bitten and kicked rather than answer her.
Once everything had calmed down, Gell handed his badge to Aoi, and right after receiving it, she placed it as just another charm on her necklace. "Are you sure? That piece of iron is going to stain the silver," I mentioned.
Aoi exhibited a prideful smile, showing off the badge. "This isn't a shame, it's a source of pride. Why should I worry about this cheap necklace getting dirty? I'm more worried about losing the badge."
I waited a moment for them to finish catching up; of course, I also participated in the conversation. But most of the time I limited myself to being a spectator of their relationship; I didn't have much to tell about my day either. As the chat progressed, we decided to walk to the guild. It wouldn't be our first time at the place, but it was the first time we would be members of it, so my head was in the clouds.
When we entered, I wasn't noticing anything. And Gell, who was usually the most informed of our group, was too infatuated with Aoi to be useful to us. "Are you lost?" an unfamiliar voice questioned.