"Oh... you're here."
A slightly aged voice slowly came from one of the figures. There was none of an elder's affection for the younger generation in its tone, only cold solemnity.
"Mm."
That response pulled Chiba from his slight astonishment.
I didn't expect it to be these two! Konoha's level of concern over this matter has clearly reached its highest point.
Still, I don't have any particularly good solution for this. At least, I haven't thought of one yet.
As he answered, that thought passed through his mind.
At this moment, standing on either side of the long table before him were an elderly man and woman—Konoha's two senior advisors.
Utatane Koharu, who had met and interacted with Chiba several times, and Mitokado Homura.
Seeing Chiba arrive, the tightly furrowed brows of the two seemed to loosen slightly.
Clearly, before Chiba had arrived, they had already discussed the matter. However, the outcome of that discussion was likely far from ideal.
They might even have reached a dead end.
The one who had spoken just now was Utatane Koharu, standing to the left of the long table.
"Come in."
Perhaps seeing that Chiba had answered but showed no intention of entering, Mitokado Homura spoke up.
"Yes."
Chiba nodded instinctively and stepped inside. Under Mitokado Homura's guidance, he sat casually with them at the far end of the long table, while Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura took seats on either side nearest that end.
Clearly, none of them cared where they sat at this point. Moreover, this was a private discussion between the three of them, so there was no need to distinguish between seats of honor and inferiority.
But...
Utatane Koharu didn't seem to dislike me either. Then why did she stop me from becoming an assistant?
If she was dissatisfied