I’m Being Pressed by S-Ranks Volume 2 Chapter 8 (Patreon)

Chapter 8 – Seeking an Apology 2

“Huh? No, not at all. I’ve explained everything to Carla and ensured I’ve got everything sorted, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

“Y-you explained it to her?”

“Of course I did!”

Why would you do that? That’s the worst thing!

Wait a minute. Does that mean she knows now that I was acting yesterday?

“B-but if you explain to her that what I did yesterday was an act, won’t that cause another fight between you and Carla?”

“It’s all right. That child is very straightforward, in a good and a bad way.”

I can understand that somehow.

Carla is a very straightforward person with an open and honest temperament.

“You see, after the incident, we went back to the inn and had another talk with Carla. I explained to her that Mr. Ryou had deliberately acted that way out of consideration for us.”

“Aha. And?”

“Carla was very happy to hear that. She even said, ‘I’ve never met a man who would go to such lengths for us!’ and started to get very excited.”

“Seriously?”

What the hell?

For some reason, our conversation is taking a strange turn?

I mean, Iris, did you really explain that my bitchy behavior yesterday was an act?

If this is true, I’m going to be so embarrassed the next time I see Carla.

Or rather, since last night, I’ve been in agony, saying, “I’m sorry, Carla, I’m sorry I hurt you,” or “Carla must hate me to the bone by now,” “But I had no choice, it’s the only way to mediate between them”. I went on like that all night.

And now you say it’s over, just like that?

“But, um, there’s still a little problem…”

“Y-yes?”

“You see, our other two companions, you see, “Carla went looking for Iris and came back with tears in her eyes” “Now she’s all excited. What is this all about?” they all went like that last night. In short, they are curious to know what has happened.”

“Well, of course they are.”

At this point, the waitress from earlier returned, so Iris fell silent again.

Miss Iris and I both ordered the same tomato and eggplant pasta. With a practiced hand, the waitress placed the pasta and a glass of water in front of each of us.

As she left, the waitress winked at me with one eye closed.

It’s the first time in my life that I’ve been monitored by a lizard woman, but let me tell you, it’s not a very pleasant experience.

“So, um… what did you explain to your two companions when they questioned you?”

“……”

Instead of answering, Iris remains looking sheepish.

“Well, you see… Carla is a straightforward person, in both good and bad ways. In other words, she can’t lie.”

“To what extent did she tell them?”

“…the whole thing.”

“She told them everything!?”

Surprised, my hand, which was holding the fork with the pasta I’m about to eat, stops.

Iris’ shoulders slumped, but she continues.

“The two of them were surprised and, at the same time, very angry with me and Carla. They said, “What were you thinking, laying your hands on a Guild staff?” That from your point of view, if a high-ranking adventurer invited a low-ranking receptionist like you, you wouldn’t be able to refuse because of the pressure and our ranks and such”.

“Oh. So they interpreted it that way, huh?”

I thought they would be angry for some reason, like “Don’t carelessly entrust your body to a man you don’t know,” but it was the opposite.

Ah, but of course, if this was my original world, that would be a bit of a problem.

On the contrary, it’s a situation where a female guild member is being courted by a group of male adventurers in a high-ranking party, and she offers her body to them out of peer pressure and position.

In my case, I gave it up willingly, so there was no problem.

“I didn’t think that far ahead. I’m really sorry… for the trouble we’ve caused you, Mr. Ryou.”

Iris bows so deeply that she smacks her forehead on the desk.

“No, it was nothing. I mean, in the case of Miss Carla, I’m the one who agreed to come with her. As for you, Miss Iris, I was the one who invited you to my house. And I did it all because I wanted to.”

“Um, thank you… but you see… our two other companions… as members of the same party, they want to apologize to you personally….”

“R-really?”

“So, if you don’t mind, Mr. Ryou, would you like to meet the other two?”

“No, really, or rather, they don’t have to, for someone like me. As I said, it’s something I’ve done willingly. Just tell the other two that their concern for me is enough.”

I waved my hand laughingly, declining Iris’s offer.

But Iris’s face became increasingly uncomfortable from then on.

Well… Mr. Ryou. Um, wanting to apologize is actually an excuse for both of them.”

“Excuse?”

“They want to meet you too.”

How can I put this? I have the feeling that the conversation is taking a strange turn again.

“They both want to see you, Mr. Ryou. But in this situation, if each of them went to see you personally in this situation, it would ruin their position as the one who scolded us. That’s why they want to meet you on the pretext of apologizing. If it’s okay with you, Ryou, would you like to meet them?”

She dropped the “Mister” part. This must be a personal request.

“It would be nice if I could meet them, but why me?”

When I tilted my head, Iris looked at me with a quizzical look in her eyes.

“Are you serious?”

“Uwaaa.”

“I’ve been thinking about this since yesterday, but Ryou, you really don’t understand how unique you are to us! For us, no, for this world, men like you are the rarest of the rarest!”

Well, I can say that this is true that I’m unique. After all, I am a person from a parallel world.

But to be the rarest of the rarest, isn’t that too much?

“The ability to find ugly women like us to be truly beautiful. To be more precise, the ability to look straight into our faces and get a real hard-on is a rare thing!”

“Why did you say that! You only needed the first half!”

I’m really glad there were no other customers in this part of the shop!

But I can’t imagine coming back to this restaurant again!

Look, the waitress is looking at me with a curious expression!

“But, you know, in the capital, aren’t there men who say, ‘I don’t care what you look like, I like your personality and your skills’? Besides, there are a lot of guys with better-looking faces than mine, aren’t there?”

“Yes, there are.”

Iris smiled at my question.

“I don’t care what you look like or what race you are. I love your noble heart. By the way, I have some nice magic items. Would you be interested in them?” “I don’t care about your face. I love you for your solid skills. By the way, I need the skin of the Tornado Wyvern, an A-rank monster in the Zaka Plains.” I’ve heard a lot of words like that before.”

“O-oh, I see.”

Looks like I stepped on a land mine.

Iris recounted horrific examples as if she had experienced them firsthand.

I knew it. Cities are scary places.

“But even if Iris and her friends are considered ugly by the standards of this world, if you look hard enough, you will surely find men who appreciate your skills and your hearts.”

“In this world where men outnumber women? Never. Even if they don’t say a word, beautiful women with ability, honor, and wealth will come to them, so why bother to choose an ugly woman?”

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