「Onee-chan, are you a baddie…?」
Nicola made the first strike by showing her teary eyes.
「N, Noー We're a vigilante group of justice who protect this Fatia Town! We're not bad people, s, so… stop crying, okay…?」
I see.
So they're a bunch of kids playing heroes, huh.
First, let's ask why they want this vacant lot.
「Delica nee-san. What are you going to do with this vacant lot?」
「Call me Boss! We'll make this vacant lot our hideout!」
Boss? LOL.
I laughed in my head.
Nicola was also holding a laughter.
Well, I knew Delica was just a child.
But I was a little sorry for her, because she didn't realize that it would become her black history in the future.
I could imagine, a few years later, she would bury her face in a pillow while kicking and screaming on her bed remembering the time she was called 'Boss'.
「But this is Gill oji-san's land. If you make it a hideout without permission, he will get angry, you know?」
I warned her while putting the piles of sand I made onto a shelf.
「That's… Do something about it will you! Our last hideout has been taken from us. Now we don't know where to go!」
Uwa….. She left it all to me!?
I could have said "we don't wanna play with you", but it would be unnatural for children at our age to not play together with other children, and perhaps, it would make our parents worried.
「B, Boss (lol), what does your vigilante group usually do?」
「...The way you call me irritates me a little for some reason... Usually, we patrol around the town, and then take a rest in the hideout」
In other words, they just wanted a resting place after wandering around the town.
If it was just to rest, I thought it would be enough if they sat under a tree or something.
But I understood that children at their age were longing for a hideout or secret base.
Well, if that's the case, I thought there wouldn't be a problem.
「Well, if you allow me to always stay in the hideout, I'm okay to be your underling, of course Nicola too」
I dragged Nicola along just in case.
It seemed she had no objection, because I didn't hear the telepathy.
「Umu. Protecting the hideout is also important! Mark, Nicola, I appoint you two as the hideout guards!」
Waaaaaー!
The children surrounding us cheered.
It seemed I was able to handle this situation peacefully.
Anyway, I had to report it to Gill the next time he came.
♦
We listened to Delica about their circumstances.
They had been using a hut a little further away from here as their hideout, but then it was demolished, and they were looking for a new one.
Delica's little brother, Yuuri, discovered this vacant lot and reported it to Delica after scouting several times.
Moonlight Wolf Team had a total of five people. Besides Delica and Yuuri, there were two boys and a girl.
And with Nicola and I joined, it became seven people.
The oldest was Delica, 9 years old.
The youngest was me and Nicola.
Yuuri, who I thought was the same age as me, seemed to be a year older.
♦♦♦
When Delica and I explained the situation to Gill, who appeared the next day, he gave us several conditions:
– Don't be a trouble to the neighbors.
– We have to go home when the evening bell rings.
– When the use of the vacant lot is decided, we have to leave.
With Delica promised to obey the conditions, the vacant lot became the Moonlight Wolf Team hideout.
When Delica said her promise, Gill made a bitter smile on his face. Maybe he remembered when he made a hideout or secret base when he was a child.
Today, Nicola and I, who had become members of the team, were doing our duty as the hideout guards while working on the field.
The other members were on 'patrol', so there was no one but Nicola and me here.
「Onii-chan, since this place has become a hideout, why don't you make something hideout-like using earth magic for Delica's sake. I think making various props will be a good practice」
I see. Maybe she's right.
Rather than making a round manhole-like thing or a wall, it would be better if I make something useful.
「Alright. Maybe I'll make a chair or table first. The design is not that important, so for now, let's aim to make it firm enough so it doesn't crumble when you sit on it. I wish I could make a building with a roof later」
「Just don't build it too big, or Gill oji-chan will scold us」
「I know. Don't worry. I'll try to make a table first」
I took the manhole-shaped mass of soil that I made the other day, and tried holding it horizontally.
And then I imagined four little pillars emerged from the ground under the manhole-shaped soil.
The pillars kept growing until they touched the manhole-shaped soil and merged together.
It looked like it was nicely turned into a table leg.
After that, I injected more mana to harden it, and it was done.
「Hooー it's slightly tilted, but you did make it like a table. But, onii-chan, you can't carry it if the legs are still attached to the ground」
「Oh, right. I forgot to imagine it. Well, maybe if I practice more, I will get used to imagining even the little things」
Perhaps, making a hideout would be a really good magic practice for me.
Maybe Nicola, who usually avoided troublesome things, wanted to take trouble joining a group of a bunch of kids so she could continue to advise me on my practice.
「Well then, can you make a chair for me? Make it as solid as possible so that my clothes don't get dirty」
She ordered me like a boss, but I didn't mind.
I started making a chair for Nicola.