A shocking statement, delivered just like that—casually and out of nowhere.
"W-Wait, what do you mean by that!?"
"Hold on. What are you saying?"
"Mm... explanation... please... urgent..."
The three of them reacted like they'd been caught completely off guard.
Bidd looked at the three of them and didn't seem particularly rattled.
"First off, so there's no misunderstanding—I don't dislike you three or anything like that. Even after I leave, I still want to stay friends with all of you. And even after leaving the party, I'd still like to explore together once in a while."
"Then why are you leaving?"
"That's because the three of you are a complete party already."
At Bidd's answer, Lupinus took a small breath.
"...Hmm."
"Mm..."
Pakira and Riv also made gestures as if they'd figured something out.
And I understood too. I see.
"What do you mean?"
Only one person didn't get it—the rabbit cut in.
"Bidd, you specialize in close-range and mid-range combat, right?"
"That's right."
"But Riv handles close-range. And Pakira covers mid-range and long-range."
"That's right."
"There's overlap?"
"There is, but it's not a problem."
That was true. If anything, you could consider it double the combat power.
Bidd offered a faint, wry smile and shook his head.
"The biggest issue isn't overlap. It's coordination."
"Coordination…"
"First, Lupinus takes the enemy's attack, then Riv and Bidd strike. That's Torquetam's coordination."
"It shouldn't be bad, though."
"That's right. It's just that the three of us are so used to it, there's no room for me to fit in."
"Now that you mention it, I can see that."
"Hmm… Bidd… the timing doesn't always match… sometimes."
"Then you just need to practice."
That was fair enough, but I could sense Bidd was trying to pull away.
A feeling of exclusion.
The three of them had a strong bond. And against that, she felt shut out.
The real reason behind it — none of them had noticed.
They hadn't done anything wrong. Bidd knew that too.
That was exactly why she'd brought it up now, before things got serious.
"Everyone's feelings… it really makes me happy. But Torquetam is Torquetam because it's the three of us."
Bidd's faint smile carried unwavering resolve.
Pakira looked like she wanted to say something but held her tongue.
Riv glanced at Lupinus, and Lupinus nodded.
"Very well, Bidd. Thank you for everything up to now."
"Mm. This isn't a farewell for all eternity."
"Nn… let's… explore together… again…"
The three of them accepted her warmly.
Bidd was so moved that her eyes glistened with tears.
"And likewise — I'm glad I got to be your companion, even if it was brief. Ah, but obviously I can't just keep living here like before, right?"
"That's perfectly fine, really."
"I shan't mind either."
"Stay… as long as… you like."
"Well then, let's keep getting along from here on!"
The four of them embraced. Yep. A beautiful sight.
I nod with a big sweeping gesture. But the rabbit was the only one who saw it differently.
It gave me a puzzled look and spoke up.
"Wouldn't that be basically the same as before you said you were quitting?"
"Rabbit. I'm making you into tonight's Pottchuvreeish."
"What the— is that some kind of mysterious incantation?!"
"It's a dish name, obviously."
A dish made with rabbit, chicken, veal, and pork.
But Hiyarn's pretty shallow too.
It certainly looked like nothing had changed.
But it definitely had changed.
The thing was, only they would realize it.
Thinking about that, I drank a mixed energy drink.
Annoyingly, it tasted good.
It had been a week since Bid quit Torquetam.
Winter was just around the corner, but the real cold wouldn't hit for another month or so.
The climate around here was nice, so even winter didn't get that cold.
The Witch still hadn't returned from the royal capital.
Apparently, there had been some kind of disturbance there.
An anomaly had occurred in a dungeon near the royal capital, and it had affected part of the city.
Since the Witch was a First-Class delver, she was probably busy dealing with it.
Well, if it was the Witch, there was nothing to worry about.
Even after a week, my original energy drink still wasn't finished.
I kept trying this and that, but nothing produced an energy drink I was satisfied with.
"…Ugh…"
"Uuuu…"
Both Hiyarn and I felt sick from drinking too many energy drinks.
"Yeah… this really isn't something you drink in large quantities…"
"Kind of like chugging potions, isn't it…"
"…Potions, huh."
"Hiyarn?"
"Wof, can you make potions?"
"Well, sort of. I can, yeah."
"Would you mind making one for me?"
"Sure, but I don't have any ingredients. I'll go grab some from home."
I headed out of the lab.
When I got back to the den, I ran right into Lupinus.
"Good afternoon, Wof."
"Hey. Just got out of the bath?"
"Yes, I ended up staying in a bit too long."
Steam was still drifting off Lupinus as she smiled with a hint of embarrassment.
A bath, huh. Maybe I'll take one later too. That's when a thought crossed my mind.
"Were you looking for me, by any chance?"
"Oh, could you tell?"
"Not really… just a feeling."
Looks like I guessed right. I really did just have a vague feeling about it.
It wasn't like she'd been waiting for me or anything—she probably would've just headed back if I hadn't been there.
I'd like you to hear me out.
"Sure. We shouldn't just stand around talking — why don't we go to my room?"
"Oh, I'd be happy to join you."
Once inside, Lupinus settled onto the edge of the bed.
I brewed warm green tea in a crescent-shaped pot.
I poured it into a wooden cup and handed it to her.
"Thank you. It's warm and wonderfully fragrant."
"So this is about Bid, I'm guessing?"
"Yes, that about covers it."
Lupinus gave a slightly troubled smile.
"I heard things were going well between you two."
"It's not like anything major happened. It's just… compared to before, things are… different now."
"Well, yeah, that's to be expected."
"I regret it. Looking back, I was lacking in consideration in so many ways. If only I'd been more mindful of Bid…"
I understood Lupinus's regret.
Bid had been a friend with whom they'd grown fairly comfortable around each other.
If they'd been meeting for the first time, she probably would have shown that kind of consideration.
"But it's not exactly easy to notice those things in the moment."
"No, it isn't. I'd grown complacent, thinking it was fine because it was Bid."
I figured that probably went both ways.
"What do you want to do, Lupinus?"
At my question, Lupinus took a sip of her green tea.
Then she let out a small sigh and spoke.
"I'm not trying to rush into anything. People might call me sentimental, but I'd like to start over with Bid one more time."
I could hear the anxiety woven into her words.
"Could it be that Bid is... thinking about leaving? Moving on?"
"I get that sense from him."
I could more or less tell that things were heading in that direction.
With Bid, it wouldn't be surprising at all.
And if that happened, he'd probably leave Hydrangea too.
If Lupinus had picked up on it, then Pakira and Riv had surely noticed as well.
I was troubled. It wasn't the happy ending I'd thought it was. It was more serious than that.
I hadn't thought too deeply about it since I wasn't one of the people directly involved.
Of course he'd feel out of place.
"I think you should have a proper conversation about it first."
"You're right..."
"Is there something worrying you about it?"
"I just don't know how to bring it up."
"Wouldn't it be fine to just speak from the heart? That's what I think, anyway. You and the others haven't really had a deep conversation about this kind of thing, have you?"
"No, we haven't..."
I got the sense that the others in Torquetam probably felt the same way.
How to put it — I can't really tell if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but it's what I think.
The party called Torquetam had walls between its members.
But it had been working fine all this time, so maybe that was okay.
Still, when it came to Bid — well. The way things were going wasn't good.
It would be truly sad for me if Bid ended up leaving.
No. I didn't want that.
"You should definitely have an honest heart-to-heart! How does Lupinus feel about Bid, and what does she want to do about it? You should talk about all of it!"
"Y-yes, that's... that's quite right."
"You should talk like you're ready to bare your souls!"
"B-bare?!"
"At the very least, you should all sit down and discuss it together."
I gazed at Lupinus with a serious expression.
Lupinus's cheeks flushed red, and then she fixed me with eyes just as serious as my own.
"I understand."
Lupinus nodded firmly.
I felt relieved.
Maybe things would get a little better now — I thought, carelessly and somewhat detached, as if it were someone else's problem.
Well, I wasn't a member of Torquetam, after all.
The next day.
The Torquetam hideout mansion. The reception room.
Lupinus. Pakira. Riv. Biddo. Everyone had gathered.
"Alright, let's discuss this. Let's bare it all!"
Everyone's eyes went wide at Lupinus's bombastic opening remark.
Well, she did say it, but I didn't expect her to come out with it so enthusiastically right from the start.
Come to think of it, why am I even here?