章 138: A third wheel

Our first job together was a disaster. It is rather interesting that humans are impersonating different monsters to loot villages. I wonder, what did Hazel think of this conundrum?

"Hazel, what did you think of this matter? This bizarre situation that we kinda solved."

"To be honest, I am still thinking about the motive behind this. Why would humans impersonate monsters? They could have just come out and robbed them like normal." (Hazel)

"I think they are trying to be as discreet as possible. Think of this, a horde of monsters attacked your village. The monsters in question are fairly strong. You want to hire adventurers to deal with it. But you don't have enough funds to hire someone good.

You still do it and hope for a high ranking adventurer to take the job and do it. Aside from us, how many people, do you think, would do this, Hazel?"

Hazel thinks for a moment and makes a face like she has realized it.

"Normally, even some E rank jobs pay higher than this. No one would take it. And even more so if it's an ogre case. So they impersonated strong monsters and left the village penniless on purpose. A rather short sighted plan, isn't it?" (Hazel)

"There's always more to it than meets the eye. I think there's an organization or something like that pulling the strings. But that doesn't matter to us. We simply did it because we wanted to. Now let's go and report that it's done."

I hold her hand. But she took it a step further and passed her fingers through mine. Our hands and intertwined. This is a wholesome handholding. It kinda makes me happy.

Of course we are happy. But our surroundings are not too suitable for a scene like this. We are walking through a forest that has monsters almost everywhere. You would be on guard but monsters don't approach us to begin with.

We are walking leisurely. We are in no hurry after all. Roughly an hour has passed since we left the guild. It would be too awkward if we return only after an hour.

I think I can test Hazel. How far she has come on her own?

"Hazel, this might be a weird question but what do you think of cats?"

Some dogs get along with cats, some just ignore them and some are downright crazy. They go nuts if they see a cat. I have seen them fight. It's intense.

"I think they are cute. But why cats, master?" (Hazel)

"Well, cats and dogs have a history. So I wanted to know your thoughts on this matter. You think they are cute. Well, looks wise, they are. But I don't think I like them very much."

For some unknown reason, cats have been wary of me for a while. I don't remember from when but even during my school days, cats did not approach me. Animals in general tended to avoid me.

"I can understand that feeling. They are always so free that you begin to wonder, what are they thinking, right?" (Hazel)

"No. If you think of it like that, then I can only say that they are pretty selfish. They like you when they need you. And after that, it's goodbye until they need you again. I can't speak for every cat but I have observed two and that's how it was for me."

Wait, I have observed two cats? A new memory popped up. I stop and try to focus. But it was lost.

"What happened, master? You stopped so suddenly." (Hazel)

"I have a gap in my memories. I have observed two cats? How can that be when I have no active memory of it?"

"Why don't we take a break, master?" (Hazel)

We are almost out of the forest anyway. We sit under a tree.

"When we were connected with you again, we all saw your memories. Some parts were blurry and some were totally black. It's like you don't really remember most of your childhood, master." (Hazel)

"I really don't. That doesn't bother me. As long as I have my current memories, I will be fine."

It doesn't really matter if I remember my childhood or not. I remember the important bits and my most important memories are from my recent experiences anyway.

Hazel leans on me and puts her head on my shoulder. We are sitting languidly. No worries in the world.

"Isn't it nice to be just the two of us every once in a while?"

"Yes. I do like the company but sometimes, just quiet company is not so bad either." (Hazel)

Hazel has gained her knowledge from me. I am guessing that her thought process is similar to me as well. Meaning, we both are inexperienced in the romantic aspect. But we don't have to hurry.

We have all the time in the world. Our rest came to an end when we heard a cry.

"Master, did you hear it?" (Hazel)

"I did. What could it be? Sounded like a animal."

"Let's go. It should be a baby animal because the cry was weak." (Hazel)

We get up and Hazel starts sniffing.

"Can you smell it in your human form?"

"I can. My form has changed to imitate a human but my auditory and olfactory senses are the same. No, they have improved to a greater degree. I found it. Let's go." (Hazel)

Hazel pulls me along as she moves forward. We are heading deep into the forest again. And it didn't take us long to reach it.

I can see a small black kitten, fallen on the ground. It's parents are nowhere to be seen. I searched the area but got no similar reactions. Did this kitten come here all by itself?

Hazel picks it up. I take a look. It looks like a cat. But I don't know if cats even exist on this planet. I'll call it a cat for now.

"She's extremely weak, master." (Hazel)

Hazel has worry mixed in her voice. She looks restless. Well, I can understand her being worried. I touch the kitten. Its getting colder. Healing magic, I have never done it. But I send tiny bits of mana inside its body to improve self healing and wait for it to regain its sense.

It opened its eyes after a minute and looked at me. Its looking at me. And still staring at me. Hazel tells me to hold her.

But when I did, it bit my finger. It's not strong. Its sucking on my finger.

"She likes you, master." (Hazel)

"I always thought that animals didn't exactly like me. But looking at her, I can say that she doesn't hate me, at least. Wait, its a she?"

"Yes, master. Its a she. She's probably 2 weeks old." (Hazel)

"What should we do with her?"

"Take her of course. You can not leave a small kitten like her in this forest. We have to take care of her." (Hazel)

Hazel is pushing me to take the kitten home. Let's take her home and see what we can do. I put the kitten on my head but she slid down to my shoulder and made herself comfortable inside my shirt. She is hanging on my shirt with her head out.

It seemed a little uncomfortable so I passed her to Hazel and she did the same thing with Hazel. However, Hazel has extra support. It's weird, isn't it?

I started with a dog. Then came 2 bears and a human. I have 2 intelligent weapons, 3 spirits and one unknown entity as my allies. All I was missing was a cat. Now that spot is taken as well. I wonder, is the cat a third wheel now? Hazel herself doesn't mind so I won't point it out.

It's better to just let bygones be bygones. I will have to consult with Fiona again. I mean, I am still living in her house. But first, onwards to the guild. It's gonna be a long day again.