After I left the arena, I ran into Claire, again...
"Oh hey." I said with a blank tone.
"Congratulations on becoming a bodyguard... Guardian. But don't celebrate just yet, I still don't believe you and I don't like you as well." Claire said coldly as she extended her hand and gave me a cold blank stare.
"Oh don't you worry about that, the feeling's mutual." I replied with the same tone while I did the same.
We had a staring contest as we grabbed each other's hand as hard as we could.
"Hey, let go." Claire said in a slightly irritated tone as she put on a smile on her face.
"Ladies first, right? You know, I am a gentleman, albeit being an adventurer." I replied as I forced a smile on my face, enduring Claire's grip strength.
A few minutes passed, but neither of us let go. And so, we glared at each other without saying anything as we made a mental note of killing the other later. At that time, both of us reached for our weapons, trying to force the other to let go.
"Onii-chan!" Iris called as she waved at us.
"Oh hey Iris-!" I waved back at Iris with my left hand.
"Is Iris-sama!" Claire corrected me.
"Aw shut up, white-suit!"
"Make me!"
"What are you doing?" Iris asked as she looked at us with curiosity.
"Oh nothing!" Both of us answered in sync. However, Iris became more skeptical about our reactions and decided to approach us.
sigh* "Really, stop this, would you? You are going to break your hands if this goes on." Iris said in exasperation as she pried our hands off each other.
"Thank you, Iris-" We somehow managed to be in sync again.
"Hey, Onii-chan. Can I talk to you in private?" Iris asked shyly as she tugged my left sleeve gently.
"Sure." I replied as I stuck my tongue out at Claire, Claire glared at me during that.
"Maybe let's go somewhere else, Iris." I told Iris as I hold her hand gently and left the scene.
After leaving the arena with Iris, I was led to her room.
I closed the door after Iris went into her bedroom.
"First, could you tell me how it tastes?" I asked Iris with a gentle smile.
"The hamburger steak? It was delicious! The steak was tender and juicy, and it wasn't too cold or hot. Not to mention, it has a wonderful flavor. So to conclude, the hamburger steak was really good!" Iris replied like a food critic with a dreamy expression as she remembered the hamburger steak.
"Good to hear that you liked it!" I told her with a happy expression.
"Would you cook this again for me sometime later, Onii-chan?" Iris asked me with cute puppy eyes.
"Yup, I will definitely cook this again sometime later." I replied with enthusiasm after hearing Iris liked the hamburger steak.
"Yay! By the way, Onii-chan..."
"Hm, what is it, my dear Iris?" I asked Iris gently with a smile on my face.
"Onii-chan, what can you teach me?" Iris asked with a touch of curiosity in her voice.
"Well, I can teach you a lot of things. For instance, military tactics and sword skills." I answered as I saw her looking a bit unhappy at that part.
"What's wrong?" I asked wearily, as I wonder if I did something wrong.
"Oh nothing. It's just..." Iris replied lifelessly.
"Let me guess, too bored to learn these in the palace?" I asked. She nodded in response.
"So why not let me teach you those when we go out and take some quests?" I asked with a slightly playful tone as my eyes sparkled with a little mischief. "You know, we can sneak out during your bedtime and take on quests." I whispered as I figured there might be someone outside the room and eavesdrop on us. "I mean, I may not be as skilled as Claire-san when it comes to swordsmanship, but I am a hundred percent sure I am somewhere near to her level."
"Yeah, that sounds nice!" Iris replied with a cheerful tone as she put on a genuine smile.
"Hey, Iris." I called.
"What is it, my dear Onii-chan?" Iris asked softly as she can't stop smiling.
"Do you still have your adventurer card?" I whispered. "Also, keep it down, in case someone is eavesdropping on us." I reminded Iris in order not to get ourselves busted by her first lesson.
"Yes." she whispered back as she took out her adventurer card.
"Good. So the staff member told me you can literally pick any job you want. Time to pick a job you like the most." I whispered.
"What would you pick if you were me, Onii-chan?" Iris asked as she can't decide her job.
"Hmm... Let's see... Which job does your heart desire?"
"I would like to be a thief. But my stats says otherwise..." Iris said dejectedly.
"If you found there are multiple jobs you want or suit you, why not just create a new one?" I asked with a hint of hope in my voice.
"Eh?" Iris looked at me with disbelief.
"This happened to me as well, like you, my stats are all-rounded too, so there are a few jobs that suit me. But, I told the staff I would create a new job. And now, a Magic Swordmaster is standing right in front of you as a result." I explained with a warm smile as I looked at Iris, whose eyes widened with hope and disbelief.
"Can I do that as well...?" Iris looked at me with hope. I nodded.
"Well maybe. Let's go over to the Adventurers' Guild tomorrow to tell the staff your choice. Then we will have our first lesson." I whispered as I didn't want any unexpected eavesdroppers found us in the Adventurers' Guild tomorrow. "But for now, take some rest first. You would need enough energy for that."
"Yes! (Hai!)"
A/N: Hope you all are enjoying the story!Positive critiques are appreciated.