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Crusty didn't think anything could have taken him by surprise anymore, but Shiroe's announcement that he bought the entire building left him gasping and laughing. It was brilliant.
The amount of thought that went into the plan was amazing. Shiroe convinced the largest merchant guilds into paying for an ordinary recipe, out-negotiating some of the most able negotiators in Akihabara. Biding his time with the recipe's popularity just to sell it had to take careful consideration and timing. And it was a virtually foolproof way to set up a makeshift government, requiring only Shiroe's permission and not brute force.
It was this kind of skill in handling himself and any enormous problem that had attracted him to Shiroe's strategic abilities in the first place. He had only asked Shiroe to join his guild once, awed by his tactician prowess. Judging by other popular guilds' failures, he didn't expect to have a high chance of winning him over, either.
He was a bit disappointed to discover that Shiroe now had his own guild, occupied with his own endeavors instead of assisting D.D.D. Free to his own devices, though, Shiroe had much more freedom to start campaigns such as this. He had to admit that Shiroe was probably more suited to being a leader by himself than trying to follow him and lead other people at the same time.
Crusty watched in amusement as Isaac squabbled with Shiroe over vague threats. There was nothing that could be done about the arrangement; Akiba was a no combat zone, and the main safe place was controlled by Shiroe. Isaac's protests died down, and he grumbled in irritation.
The conference was a success.
Crusty knew that Shiroe was a busy man now, overseeing every kind of affair that the Round Table was invested in or might be interested in, but he decided to visit him anyway. He heard that Shiroe bought a modest building on the outskirts of Akiba privately, fitting it into his guild's home, and he thought that now was a good time to pay him a visit.
Most of Log Horizon's guild members were out right now, presumably preparing for the upcoming Scale Festival. The only guild member he noticed was a short purple haired girl in a long ponytail, walking around outside as if she was on a patrol.
"Who are you?" she asked. "Do you know my lord?"
"Lord? Do you mean Shiroe?"
When she nodded, Crusty felt the corners of his mouth twitch in mirth. He didn't know Shiroe's personality well, but he knew enough to understand that Shiroe hated drawing attention to himself. Having a frivolous nickname like "lord" had to make him a little flustered.
"I'm Crusty, from the Round Table. I'm the leader of D.D.D."
She nodded again. "I'm Akatsuki." She didn't seem to be up for more conversation, skipping off on her own around the corner.
The building had an interesting structure, he noticed when he stepped inside. A large tree rooted itself through the walls and ceiling, giving the place a strange feeling of being domestic and native.
He found Shiroe sitting alone in an office, stacks of papers on his desk. He was paying the work little attention, though, and he caught sight of Crusty immediately, straightening at his approach. He wasn't startled by the random appearance, and Crusty wondered if Shiroe was even more unshakable and mentally prepared for things than he was.
"Crusty?"
He smiled in greeting. "Busy, I see."
Shiroe sighed, pushing his chair back and standing up. "Everyone's told me to take a break, so I should probably do that now." He extended his arm and shook Crusty's hand. They had yet to truly talk or greet each other personally like this, and Crusty was pleasantly surprised to find that Shiroe's hands had a soft warmth to them.
"Many of my guild members are looking forward to the festival."
Shiroe scratched his head. "Nearly everyone is. My guild members asked me to attend and take time off, but…"
Crusty frowned. "You're not even going to go?"
He shrugged. "If I do, it won't be for long."
"What a masochist…" Crusty reached into his inventory and pulled out an item, ignoring Shiroe's denial of enjoying the tedious workload. "I came here mainly to drop this off."
Shiroe saw his own inventory light up with multiple presents. "Furniture?"
"Consider it a housewarming gift."
For once, Shiroe seemed baffled, but he accepted it gratefully. "This place is looking pretty drab. But really, there was no need to do this. Even Marielle didn't give me anything."
Crusty waved his hand. "I'm wealthy. I give out gifts all the time."
The truth was that he didn't. He had amassed a fortune over the years playing Elder Tales, and as a leader of a very successful guild he had plenty of rare and priceless items, but he could never bring himself to dole out more than small trinkets and food. He felt compelled to do it for Shiroe, however, satisfied with the enchanter's progress and wanting to reward him for it.
He was rather unappreciated, after all. Crusty didn't understand if people were scared by his confidence, or if they just misunderstood him, but he rarely received the praise that he deserved. Shiroe wasn't bothered by the lack of credit, even if some people attributed the Round Table's success to Crusty and other notable adventurers.
Shiroe was truly a noble person.
Crusty heard about Marielle's scheme to rope Shiroe into modeling clothes for her guild. Apparently, Shiroe followed up on the promise, despite not making the promise in the first place.
That was all he expected out of Shiroe for the festival. He was taken aback by Shiroe's appearance at a small restaurant, located at the heart of Akiba.
He stepped up to Shiroe's table, dipping his head down with a smile. "Mind if I sit here?"
Shiroe's head shot up. "Oh, Crusty! I didn't think I would bump into you here." He nodded and gestured towards a chair across from him.
Rush hour had ended, and the restaurant's activity was at a lull. Shiroe sat at the end of a large rectangular table, and few other customers were around.
"I was hungry." Shiroe sheepishly rubbed his neck. "Nyanta was too busy to cook, anyway."
Crusty didn't remember who Nyanta was, but he ignored that and seated himself. "Did you already order?"
"Yeah. Someone told me to try the pasta here, once I had the chance."
Crusty leaned his elbows on the table. "How's work coming along?"
"As sluggishly as it always does." Shiroe idly dragged a finger around on the table. "People of the Land have filed an incredible amount of complaints, but I can't understand why."
"Do you need any help?"
Shiroe glanced up at him. "Don't you have any work to do?"
"Work? You've hardly given me anything, and D.D.D. has postponed raids for the festival. I have nothing to do."
Shiroe shrugged. "I think I can handle everything right now. It's just a chore."
Crusty ordered once a waitress stopped by their table to give Shiroe a drink. He ended up choosing the same dish Shiroe did, and their meals arrived at the same time.
"Finally. I'm starving." Shiroe dug a fork in, opening an adventurer window in the middle of it to check the time.
Crusty watched him juggle the tasks, his eyes taking notice of Shiroe's calm movements and sighs.
More than just his tactician competence, Crusty found that Shiroe was satisfying to look at. The sharp angles and smooth skin on his face were softened by his laid-back demeanor, and his clothing rearranged itself every time he moved his arms. Crusty wore lighter clothing than normal, opting out of his armor, but Shiroe seemed to take a liking to his enchanter robes. It reminded him of someone with a security blanket, the way Shiroe seemed to contently sit in his cloak.
Shiroe finished before he did, and while Crusty was under the impression that Shiroe ate in a hurry, he still paused and waited a few more minutes for Crusty to finish.
"Are you just going to walk around now?" Shiroe asked after they stepped outside.
"Probably." Crusty tilted his head. "Why? Care to join me?"
Shiroe nodded. Crusty was curious about the stiffening in his shoulders, an obvious sign of discomfort despite the amiability between them, but he didn't mention it.
Isaac spotted them strolling together, and he burst out laughing, striding up to them and pointing.
"It's like there's a mirror between you two!"
Shiroe raised an eyebrow. "We're nothing alike."
Crusty sighed, guiding Shiroe away by the shoulders. "Ignore him, he just enjoys goading people into arguing."
He saw the tips of Shiroe's ears burn, but he didn't understand why. Isaac hardly made an offensive comment.
"Is something wrong?"
"No. Why?"
Crusty returned to his side, turning and noticing the red on his cheeks. Shiroe didn't seem to acknowledge any embarrassment at all, staring back at him with blank eyes. It was unsettling seeing him not match his actions to his body language, but neither of them brought it up. It was admirable in a way, even--Shiroe didn't let anything faze him.
They ended up at the door to Shiroe's home, and Crusty supposed that Shiroe had to be dropped off for more work.
"Thanks for today, Crusty."
"The pleasure was mine." Crusty dipped his head.
"Would you like to stay for a bit longer?" Shiroe angled his body to the side, opening the door wider and giving a small hopeful gulp.
Crusty was oddly relieved to hear him ask. He followed him in his office and ended up assisting him with work after all, and they worked at a slow enough pace to talk.
He had never heard Shiroe laugh before, and he was glad to hear it. It wasn't that deep, but the shaking in his shoulders, the way he covered his mouth, and the cheerful rhythm of it made him seem endearing. Crusty felt a tight affection in his chest.
The recognition of that started to make Crusty aware that he was enjoying Shiroe's company much more than he thought he would. More than he did with his friends and guild members, he wanted to waste time with him, talking without preamble and hearing him chuckle at his jokes.
Crusty stood up to stretch. The sky in the window was darkening from dusk, and he suspected that Shiroe's guild was going to come home soon. Now would be an ideal time to leave.
"Heading out now?"
He nodded. "It's getting late."
Shiroe stared him, looking as if he had something to say, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Crusty walked over to his chair, resting his elbow on the back, right behind Shiroe. "I'd be happy to come back, you know," he said in a low voice.
The flush from before was back, gracing the tops of Shiroe's cheeks as he turned. It was darker than before, and Crusty realized that there was nothing to be embarrassed about at all. Shiroe was just poor at stifling his feelings, even if he ignored them.
Crusty decided to gamble on that. He clasped his hands behind his back and bent over, lightly pressing his lips to the side of Shiroe's face. The enchanter's skin was hot now, hot to the touch, and Shiroe finally reacted to that, ducking his head and biting his lip.
That was a very pleasing response. Crusty smirked, satisfied with just this for now.
"See you tomorrow, Shiroe."