The guild hall had emptied, leaving behind an almost reverent silence. Mina, Elise, and Daniel sat at a table in the corner, under the flickering glow of enchanted lamps. Their faces still bore the weight of the recent discussions… yet Mina, by nature, could never remain serious for long.
She crossed her arms, tilted her head slightly, and asked in a tone that sounded casual but carried intent:
— "So, Elise… what rank is your friend, exactly?"
Elise fell silent for a moment. Her eyes darted, searching for a way out. Then, with a resigned sigh, she finally admitted:
— "… Rank E."
Mina nearly jumped out of her chair, her eyes widening in horror.
— "RANK E?! You're joking, right, Elise?! You're actually planning to bring a Rank E into this kind of mission? That's suicide!"
She launched into a tirade, scolding Elise like an older sister furious at her sibling's recklessness. Her hands waved dramatically in the air.
— "You know very well that quests like this are reserved for elites, people strong enough to withstand high-level monsters! Bringing along a novice is… it's utterly insane!"
Daniel calmly raised his hand, like a teacher quieting a noisy classroom.
— "Easy, easy… my waifu."
— "… Excuse me?!" Mina froze mid-sentence, her cheeks instantly flushed with both confusion and embarrassment.
— "You heard me," Daniel replied smoothly, unfazed. "My waifu. Wait until you see what I can do before burying me under your lectures."
Mina blinked, utterly lost.
— "Waifu? What even is that? Some kind of insult?"
Elise, who had been struggling to keep a straight face, buried her head in her hands. Then, with a sigh of exasperation, she looked back at Mina and muttered:
— "Don't bother asking. It's… one of his quirks. Basically, it means he just declared you his imaginary wife."
Mina froze again, her face turning crimson in an instant.
— "WIFE?! Are you kidding me?! He's insane!"
Daniel shrugged, looking completely satisfied with himself.
— "I prefer the term visionary."
In a hidden corner of his mind, Lysandra burst into crystalline laughter.
— Ah, Daniel… you never cease to amuse me. Even I, a millennia-old goddess, wouldn't have dared such boldness. A mortal Rank E, calling himself a visionary and handing out 'waifu' titles like a whimsical king… you are deliciously absurd.
Daniel merely stifled a smirk, but Elise was fuming.
— "Stop fooling around, Daniel! Do you think we have time to play at some ridiculous romantic comedy?!"
— "Exactly!" Mina added, still flushed red. "You think I'll allow you to join a high-level mission just because you called me… waifu?!"
Daniel crossed his arms, his smile turning just a touch enigmatic.
— "No. You'll let me join because I'll prove what I'm worth. Rank E or not, I've got more than one trick up my sleeve."
A heavy silence fell between them, thick with challenge and doubt. Elise let out a loud sigh, Mina turned her head away, and Lysandra—oh, Lysandra—relished the moment like a privileged spectator of a comedy play.
The storm was approaching… but for now, in that corner of the guild, they were almost laughing at the thunder to come.