The Interview

As I waited in the owner's room, I heard a knock at the door.

It seemed the two part-timers had arrived.

"Come in," I said, and "Excuse me～!" "Excuse me," came the responses as the door swung open rather vigorously. In walked a dog… rabbit? I wasn't sure which, but in came a beast-eared adventurer with light brown ears, a big chest, and gym clothes, followed by a blonde dog-eared girl in glasses wearing a white lab coat. Both had white tips on their ears.

They'd changed out of the cosplay maid outfit that served as the inn's uniform, but what were those outfits? These two had intense personalities right from the start, oi.

"… Quite the outfits you two have there."

"Nkyu! These are super easy to move in, great clothes! I found them in the dungeon!"

"Yeah, same for mine. These are quite functional, I like them. They'd probably cost several gold coins at a shop in the Imperial Capital."

Ah, come to think of it, I'd prepared those as dungeon treasure. Gym clothes, lab coats, glasses, that sort of thing. I never thought anyone would actually wear them, but they do sell this kind of stuff in the Imperial Capital… Huh? What was that just now? I felt a chill run down my spine.

Well, whatever. It's our first meeting, so let's start with introductions.

"I'm Kehma, this village's chief and secretary to the inn's owner. Sorry about the other day, I couldn't participate in the interview due to some business. Um, sorry, but your names are?"

"I'm Setsuna! A pugilist! I heard you were sleepy and asleep."

"I'm Nayuta. An alchemist. Pleased to meet you, Village Chief-san. Do you want medicine that lets you work twenty-three hours a day?"

What kind of demonic medicine is that? No thanks. And that's definitely the addictive kind.

"They're just nutritional drinks with no side effects. Energy drinks for concentration and stamina drinks for endurance. The effects are weaker than a potion's and won't give you visible recovery, but they're cheap with great cost-performance. Any reasonably skilled alchemist can make them."

Sounds troublesome either way. In various senses.

"So, you two were adventurers, right? Why did you come here?"

"We walked here!"

That's not what I meant.

Holding back Setsuna after her immediate joke, Nayuta answered.

It seemed like Nayuta would be the better one to get the story from.

"Um, my sister and I form a party together. We were originally planning to just pass through here on our way to Tsuia. But then, the settlement was bigger than our information suggested, and it had an unexpectedly good dungeon, so we decided to earn a bit here. As you can see, we got some good stuff."

Sudden changes in plans seem to be common for adventurers. Not many of them plan their adventures meticulously. They earn when they can, and sometimes pass right by their destination.

Plans are just plans, as they say.

"… I see. Sisters, huh. You don't look very alike though?"

"My sister and I have different fathers. What they call half-siblings… I'd appreciate it if you didn't pry too much into our family matters."

Sisters with different fathers, huh… Seems like a complicated family situation. Better not to touch on that.

Incidentally, while Nayuta had golden retriever-like blonde hair, Setsuna had a very beast-like brown hair.

"For reference, I'm a dog beastkin, but my sister is half dog and half rabbit. Beastkin usually take after one of their parents, but rarely, mixed breeds can be born too."

"I'm a dograbbit! Halves are rare, you know!"

With that, Setsuna spun around and showed me her curly tail. It really did look like a rabbit and dog tail split down the middle.

Beastkin halves. So those exist? Now that I think about it, Nayuta's fluffy dog tail was visible even from the front, but Setsuna's small curly one hadn't been visible from the front.

I wonder if a dog and cat would make a neinu, or a lion and tiger would make a liger, or a horse and deer would make a "ba-ka." Now I'm curious.

"Is it alright if I ask why you became adventurers?"

"Nkyu, Nayuta, you explain."

"It's not much of a story. Our village was destroyed by monsters. That's a common story, right? Oh, you should watch out for a black wolf."

"O-oh, the black wolf? It came last winter. It might come again."

"… I see."

Nayuta furrowed her brows slightly. She adjusted her glasses' position as if to hide it.

If it was Rin, I could help set up a scenario where they get their revenge in the dungeon.

No idea how that would turn out though.

"So, how's working at our inn?"

"It's a great job! The staff meals are delicious, and we still have time to dive into the dungeon too."

"I'd be grateful if you could keep employing us for a while longer. There seem to be various rare magic tools to be found, and as an alchemist, I'm very interested. The register and the massage chair were obtained here too, right?"

"Yeah. I'll keep you employed for a while longer then. If you're interested, would you want to officially settle down here? Young female adventurers are rare, and the village would welcome you."

Currently, the male-to-female ratio in Golen Village is about seven to three. Including our inn.

Adventurers are mostly men to begin with. Some have migrated from Tsuia with their wives, but as Village Chief, I suppose I need to help the villagers find marriage partners or something?

"That sounds good too. The food here is delicious. What do you think, Nayuta?"

"Right, I'll consider it. As a candidate for a base to settle down in."

I wasn't expecting much, but they seem fairly willing.

"Do you have any questions or requests? Like wanting a raise?"

"Room and meals are enough for wages… My sister eats a lot, so that's especially helpful."

"Nkyuu, how embarrassing. Sorry for being a no-good big sisteeeer."

"Yes yes. As for a question… Kuro-senpai, what is she? Some kind of ace assassin? Oh, um, you don't have to answer if knowing would put our lives at risk. As a fellow dog-ear, I was just a bit curious. Being able to hold her own in close combat with my sister at that age is quite the 'anomaly.'"

"Kuro-chan was super strong! She'll definitely keep growing. I bet that's the kind of person who becomes an A-Rank adventurer someday!"

"Ahh, yeah. Well, even I don't really know."

Kuro, that is, Niku Kuroinu's true identity is unknown to me beyond her being my slave and a dog-eared beastkin. Judging by her eye and hair color, I think she might have some hero blood in her though.

After all, her current daily DP is 160 DP. Considering that Gozoh, our village's representative adventurer, gives 85 DP per day, you can see how abnormal that value is. How did this happen? Is she just a bundle of talent?

"Come to think of it, I haven't asked about your ranks. What are they?"

"We're both C-Rank. But I think we have B-Rank level strength. We just haven't taken the promotion exam."

"Nobility comes with too many hassles. You get taxed more heavily at B-Rank, and C-Rank is comfortable enough for dungeon diving. Especially for beastkin, some countries are really annoying about it."

Is that how it works. I feel like I understand now why the C-Rank layer is so thick.

After that, we chatted amicably for a while before wrapping up the interview.

The stup… the carefree, easygoing Setsuna with her constant smile, and the reliable Nayuta.

They're uneven in various ways, but they seem well-balanced as sisters. I have to admit they make a good pair.

However, this interview raised my guard toward those two.

"By the way, Setsuna… the older sister made a joke in response to my question."

When I asked "why did you come here," she answered "we walked here." In Japanese, that's not an uncommon misunderstanding. But in the common language, there's a clear difference between "why" and "how."

How does it work in this world's language? I asked Rokuko.

"… Come to think of it, that was a strange answer."

Now then, just who are these sisters?