[Alfine : Life on the Run]

※Alfine’s POV

I, who sneaked into Meila’s wagon, decided to leave the castle gate of the Royal Capital as her companion.

I was worried that the guards are Gile’s subordinates, but when we came out, the guards just glanced inside the wagon as if there weren’t anything different from usual.

At that time, I borrowed Meila’s clothes and was wearing a cloak, but no one asked me to show my face.

The escape from the Royal Capital, which seemed to be a difficult task, was accomplished without any problems, but afterwards, we continued to be cautious, avoiding stopping at the city except for food and water supply, and was spending most our time camping in the wagon.

Meila is an adventurer specializing in ruins investigation, Excavator, so she was accustomed to camping.

After continuing such a life on the run for nearly 20 days, we finally stopped at a town about 3 days away from Youg Hannotes, and we came into contact with an interesting information.

It seems that an Abyss Walker was found in the Demon Forest near our destination, Youg Hannotes, and Meila heard from the owner of the grocery store that the city itself was in lockdown.

So now, we couldn’t enter the city of Youg Hannotes, where Finn seemed to have stopped by, and we were camping in the outskirts of the town where we replenished food and water.

“Even so, Alfine sure is madly in love with her ex-lover who disappeared, Finn-kun, that she chased him until this kind of place.”

“…I don’t know. But I think I have to apologize for all the terrible things that I did to him all this time. I’ve been behaving like a spoiled child to him since we were kids, even about being lovers, I was the one who spread rumor about it, even though Finn didn’t tell me that he likes me… He was more mature, so perhaps he just thought of it as taking care of me, who was childish and disliked.”

After traveling for about 20 days, I was able to get along well with Meila.

Even though she tends to get a little over-touch, she was a very caring woman with a refreshing personality that was easy to talk to.

At her refreshing manner of speaking and friendliness, the mask that I always wore to others other than Finn peeled off and exposed myself.

“Hmm, but if you lived together in a lover relationship, you know, there was a relationship between men and women, right? If someone hates it, normally they wouldn’t live together.”

“…………”

I was choked up on my words at the question from the open-minded Meila.

I have lived in the same inn and mansion with Finn for a long time, but we never had such a relationship.

If we had such a relationship even once, I wouldn’t have been so worried thinking that perhaps I was hated, though…

Even after spreading rumors that we are lover to our surroundings, there was no such action from Finn, and I had never taken an initiative to do such an action.

“Eh? Don’t tell me…you guys have been living together but haven’t――”

I felt my cheeks getting hot at Meila’s words.

And, tears naturally overflowed from my eyes.

“Wai-!? Why are you crying? Alfine, hey, hey.”

“Sorry, I don’t know why, but tears came out. That’s the case, right…if men and women lived together and didn’t do that, they must have hated it. Finn, who endured it because we’re childhood friend even though he hates it, must have exhausted his civility at my foolishness and disappeared, right?”

“Eh, ah, no, I don’t think that’s the case. See, Alfine is beautiful, popular, and has big boobs, I think Finn-kun was just losing his bearing when it was said that you two were lovers.”

If it was really as Meila said, how happy I would be…

But I’m sure Finn doesn’t think so.

He should be happy to escape from me, who is a selfish and self-centered liar, because I would definitely think so if I was in Finn’s position.

So, when I found Finn, I will apologize for what I had done so far and express my gratitude for taking care of me… Afterward, I’ll live quietly somewhere without him.

“Meila, I don’t need comfort…okay. And, sleeping together is forbidden too!”

Meila tried to comfort me when I started crying with the gloomy talks, but I saw that there was only one sleeping bag on the bed.

So, I hit her forehead with a knife-hand.

“Au, why did you hit me! It’s okay to sleep together right! I’ve been holding back with touching your boobs previously, you know.”

“No good things are no good. Meila and I have decided the rules of the journey, right? No bed-sharing, no touching the body, no kiss, if you can’t follow them, we’ll disband immediately.”

“Aaaahhh…anything but thaaat…I will refrain tonight too.”

“It’s not ‘tonight too’, but always, okay.”

“Auu…”

*slumps* Meila hung her head down, but thanks to her accompaniment, I was able to move with almost no track left.

Because I don’t know when Gile will make a move on me, I have to rely on Meila.

And if I was alone, I wouldn’t have been able to get myself together because I would be depressed thinking about Finn, but now she changes the gloomy air, so I was very helped mentally.

“But I’m very grateful to Meila. That’s right, I’ll give you a lap pillow for a while as a thank you.”

The moment she heard my words―――

Meila, who hung her head, grabbed my shoulder with both hands and had her face brightened.

“R-really!? Is it okay? Lap pillow?”

“As a thank you, okay.”

With an excited face, Meila put her head on my lap.

Then, she slept immediately.

As usual, Meila’s ease of sleep is amazing.

I wonder if this is her special skill…

After that, I decided to give her knee pillow for a while, then put her in a sleeping bag, take out my sleeping bag and go to sleep.

I’ve always wondered if they have ever done it, and it seems they haven’t…is that one of the reasons why Finn still a noob in romance department?