アドバイスに従って左の道を行く

As the saying goes, time is money. After careful consideration, I decisively abandon the scenic path and unhesitatingly join Ein to take the shortest path to our destination.
This isn't about having sufficient physical strength or not. A forty-minute trip will just waste my precious time.
I don't know if it's because Kaavi's prophecy has come true or not, but it isn't long after we start walking when we encounter a sign that says: "Emergency Maintenance, No Entry."
...How troublesome. Do we need to walk all the way back?
Leave this minor problem to me. Follow me.
Because I trust Ein, I follow him without hesitation as he shuttles through various alleys. Although we take a bit of a detour, when I come to my senses, I realize that we've passed the road that is under maintenance.
Amazing! Is this the ability of a delivery staff?!
Haha, I guess so. Every good hunter must know how to avoid danger. After all, we also need to have excellent vision, smell, and hearing.
This is a talent of your people. I'm so envious.
Actually... you don't need to be envious.
Hmm?
Do you want to be able to hear the footsteps coming from next door, the chatter of the elderly downstairs, or even whistling sounds from as far as a street away?
I don't think I would like that. It sounds so noisy.
Unfortunately, that's what I need to deal with every day. Sigh... my hometown is so quiet, so I never thought it could be so noisy anywhere.
How did you solve this problem?
I worked a few more part-time jobs and saved enough money to buy a pair of noise-canceling headphones so I could sleep peacefully.
The worst thing about this is that it's a passive skill. You can't choose to get rid of it.
You understand me so well. Besides, the climate here in One Han City is so different from the climate in my hometown that I started suffering from hay fever. Now I sneeze uncontrollably whenever there's pollen around me... Do you know how much I get paid to run errands for those florists?
Sigh... I can only give up those jobs reluctantly.
Don't be so...
Just as I'm about to say something to comfort Ein, he suddenly shouts out loud.
Watch out! {var:Shake}
After hearing Ein's shout and feeling a strong tug, I realize that I've switched places with him, and there's now a fox covered with muddy water in front of me.
I miscalculated. I forgot it rained last night and that there might be some puddles here.
Are you okay?
I'm fine.
He walks to one side and takes off his coat, then he moves vigorously to shake water droplets out of his fur. The mud, on the other hand, is much more difficult to clean from his fur. With mixed feelings, I drag him to a public restroom by the road.
Five minutes later
Ein doesn't keep me waiting for long before he comes back out. Although there's no more mud on him now, he is completely drenched.
What happened to you...?
...The restroom's faucet burst.
It burst?
I turned it gently, and the faucet... fell off.
Huh?
Oops, where's the "Under Maintenance" sign I left at the door? That faucet can't be used right now. Look at what's happened. What should I do about the water all over the floor...?
Ein and I look at each other as we listen to the loud-voiced man next to us shout while walking. We're both thinking the same thing at this time.
This must be a bout of bad luck.
This must be a bout of bad luck.
More than an hour passes before we manage to borrow a towel from that man and Ein manages to mostly dry his fur. Wearing his semi-dry clothes, Ein insists on taking me to the dessert shop even though I tell him we don't need to go, and it's obvious that he is talking less than he did before.
Oh, we're here.
The somewhat weathered signboard of the dessert shop appears in front of us after Ein finally says something after being silent for a long time.
This dessert shop is very plainly decorated, and I've never noticed it before, probably because of its remote location.
However, the furnishings of the shop are quite elegant, and the spacious and bright layout complements its warm, soft color combination very well. Guests have also left comments and photos on the walls, which adds to the cozy ambiance.
The only flaw is that... the selection is very limited because we've come too late. After noticing that several other customers who arrived too late like us are staring intently at the last few pieces of dessert, Ein rushes over like a small whirlwind and puts them on a plate for me.
I'm sorry. I didn't think we would encounter so many problems along the way. These are the only ones that are left.
It's alright. Neither of us wanted those accidents to happen.
With Ein's help, I quickly pay for everything, then we leave the shop with the cakes the clerk has packed for us. Although we didn't buy much, the packaging is very complex to protect them from being damaged while being transported, so we ended up with four or five large boxes for just a few slices of cake.
It looks like I'll need to see things through to the end and take you...
*Ringing* Ein's mobile phone starts ringing suddenly.
Oh no! I forgot that I've got another part-time job to go to soon.
It's okay. Just go do what you need to do. I'll be fine with these things.
But...
Because I don't want Ein to be late for his part-time job, I show off my arm strength by lifting all the boxes in front of him. Ein looks anxiously at the time on his phone with some hesitation on his face. Seeing this, I decide to use my secret weapon.
If you don't go now, you'll need to start worrying about your dinner.
Ein is stunned for a moment like he has been hit on the head by a stick, then he says goodbye to me listlessly and leaves. That was dangerous! I almost had to pay for his dinner too. I wonder when I started to feed more and more people here in One Han City, which isn't good at all.
After Ein disappears from my sight, I put down the boxes in my hand because they are inconvenient to carry even though they aren't heavy. Suddenly, my phone vibrates as I receive a message from Ein.
(Text Message) After thinking about it, I decided to ask Zechs to help you take the desserts to the Mahjong Soul Shrine. You just need to wait where you are for a few minutes.
(Text Message) He might be a little reckless, but he's still reliable.
My smile starts to disappear from my face when I see the name clearly. When we meet later, I hope Zechs won't start the conversation by saying... "What? You can't even carry something like this? How weak can you be? Why don't I give you some special training?"
I don't want to do any special training in a forest!