NOVEL NEXT Chapter 91.1
A Martial Artist Girl And An Unlucky Snatcher
“Is this all we needed for shopping?”
“Yup, that’s everything.”
“Man, we sure bought a lot today!”
“Some supplies were running low, you know~”
Stretching with a big yawn, Kurresh spoke, while Yuuri responded with hiks usual cheerful smile. Today’s shopping wasn’t just for food. They’d ended up buying various supplies for the hideout too. Originally, it was supposed to be just Yuuri and Rooks going out, but Kurresh and another, Lelei, had joined them to kill some time. Incidentally, Lelei wasn’t talking because she was busy chomping on a skewer she’d bought at a food stall.
Even though she was munching on a skewer, Lelei still carried one of the magic bags for shopping, as did Kurresh, making them the designated porters. This was a considerate measure to prevent the bags from getting in the way while Yuuri looked at items. Since they were magic bags, they only weighed as much as the bag itself. Magic items sure were convenient.
“Kurresh and Lelei, do you have anything you want to buy?”
“Not for me. Lelei?”
“Mmm?”
“…Finish eating first, Lelei.”
“…Sometimes I forget you’re an adult woman.”
“?”
Yuuri smiled wryly, while Kurresh looked exasperated. Lelei tilted her head, still munching on the skewer. The sight suited her, not seeming out of place at all. The only odd thing was that the word “adult woman” didn’t quite align with the image. But that was just the usual. Kurresh also glanced at the stalls, thinking he was feeling a bit hungry too, so he couldn’t really talk.
“So, Lelei, is there anything you’d like to buy?”
“Not really! I just came along ‘cause I was bored.”
“Got it. So, should we head back? It’s almost lunchtime.”
“What’s for lunch today?”
“Yakk and the others are cooking up something!”
“Wonder what’s on the menu—”
As they chatted lightheartedly, Rooks bounced at their feet. It’s cheerful and relaxed demeanor was oddly heartwarming. It was probably because Yuuri, at the center of it all, was so easygoing. Despite being adventurers, Kurresh and Lelei weren’t exuding any dangerous aura. They looked more like a group of close friends having a good time together. And that wasn’t entirely wrong.
As they walked along, Yuuri suddenly stopped in his tracks. The other three noticed and stopped too. Yuuri was staring at a slightly distant alleyway. Although there was nothing in particular there, she kept looking intently.
“Yuuri?”
“What’s up?”
“…Huh? Something red… over there?”
““…Huh?””
The direction Yuuri pointed was the alley, and Kurresh and Lelei followed his gaze curiously. A man slowly emerged from the alley. He was a tall, slender man who looked somewhat unhealthy, yet his thin frame seemed oddly trained. “What’s with that guy?” Kurresh muttered unconsciously. Lelei felt the same and looked at the man with a puzzled expression. He seemed strange for an ordinary person.
Also, they knew that someone Yuuri called “red” was usually trouble. They didn’t know how dangerous he was, but they understood that red was a warning. …However, Kurresh noticed that Rooks at Yuuri’s feet wasn’t wary of the man. If there was any danger to Yuuri, he’d expect his familiar, the slime, to react, but it stayed calm.
“If Rooks isn’t on alert, then he probably isn’t a threat to us.”
“There’s no murderous intent or anything. It’s strange, though.”
“Is that so?”
““Yes, that’s so.””
Kurresh and Lelei answered Yuuri, who looked confused. Being a non-combatant, Yuuri didn’t understand these things at all. But that’s precisely why he placed his full trust in his two companions and his familiar at his feet. He wasn’t the type to meddle in areas he didn’t understand.
As they observed, the man finally emerged from the alley. And then…
“Kurresh, the bag, please!”
“Don’t throw it! And take it easy, will ya?!”
“Got it—!”
At the scene unfolding before her, Lelei tossed her magic bag towards Kurresh like a pass and dashed forward. Right before their eyes, the man had snatched a bag from an elderly woman doing her shopping and taken off running. It was a purse snatcher.
“Well, I guess he’s not a threat to us,” Kurresh sighed. The elderly woman, whose bag was taken, had collapsed on the spot, with people around her rushing to her aid. The man was surprisingly fast, weaving his way through the crowd.
But Lelei leaped over the crowd’s heads as she chased after him, bounding through the air.
“…Lelei is pretty amazing, huh.”
“She’s half-cat beastkin. She looks human, but her abilities come from her beastkin father. Let’s go.”
“We’re chasing him?”
“It’s more like… we’re worried about the snatcher.”
“Huh?”
Chasing her, Kurresh gave Yuuri a pat on the shoulder and pulled his arm, making him run after Lelei. With a bounce, Rooks followed them, hopping by his feet. The distance to Lelei had already grown, but the surprised people on the road moved aside, so they were able to pursue her rather smoothly. …Well, if a girl suddenly leaps over your head, you’d be startled and step aside.
Lelei had easily caught up to the thief. The thief was surprised. After all, Lelei looked like a human girl. She just looked like a cute girl. …Just looked.