I walked restlessly down the corridor, which seemed somewhat quiet
because there weren't many people living here.
Today was Mom and Dad's first day on the job… as interns at Kuro's
magic tool trading company. It's almost time for them to come home…
Will they be alright?
Of course, I quite trust the Seditch Magic Tool Trading Company, and
Mom and Dad have more work experience than I do, so it may seem
strange for me to be the one worrying about them.
But this is a different world for the two of them, and even though I'm
somewhat used to this world by now, I remember how I felt confused at
first. That's why I'm worried about them.
As I was walking down the corridor with that thought in mind, a little
further down the hallway… I heard cheerful voices from around the
corner. Those were definitely Mom and Dad's voices. Thank goodness.
They sounded cheerful, so it must have gone well. I guess I was just
worrying too much huh?
After patting my chest, I tried to head in the direction of the voices…
but stopped when I heard the content of their conversation.
[Even so, Kaito had become amazing, didn't he!? I didn't know that
Kaito had done such great things.]
[Well, Kaito has never been the type to boast about things, so he might
be feeling embarrassed if he knows about how we know about this.]
…Eh? What's that? What is Mom and Dad talking about? It sounds like
they were talking about me but… great things?
It was a subject that made me extremely curious, so I stopped and
listened. Mom and Dad also seemed to be standing around having that
conversation and didn't seem like they would walk towards me.
[I guess we would have to thank Leonora-san for this huh. Thanks to
the books she lent to us, we were able to learn more about Kaito's
exploits.]
[Yeah, even so, these really are amazing exploits, aren't they… I can
certainly understand why the Elves are calling Kaito their Hero.]
The heck is this, I have a really bad feeling about this… Books? Elves?
Remember, did something happen related to them…
—————Moreover, there are also books and plays based on Miyamakun's exploits.
Ahh… Ahhhhhhh!? I- I remember now! There's that book that Rei-san
and Fia-san mentioned when Sieg-san and I went to Rigforeshia… So
many things happened after that, like becoming lovers with Sieg-san, so
I completely forgot about that!
S- S- Speaking of which, Rei-san did say something about that book
having a sequel coming out afterwards…
[For him to even have eight volumes of such a book, I'm so proud of him
as his parent.]
[What can I say, children do grow up so fast.]
Eight volumes!? Eh? No way, there's that many of my books out there?
No, no, how in the heck did they write eight volumes worth of stuff
about me!?
Speaking of which, I think Rei-san and Fia-san said that the book made
it look like I was the one who defeated the Black Bears…
[…Kaito "kicking several hundreds" of these Black Bears, are these
strong monsters?]
[Hmmm, I think so. Even a normal bear is a threat to us, so if there are
several hundreds of those bears, Kaito must be very strong to defeat all
of them.]
[Kaito told us that he can use magic, but he isn't that strong though.
Was he just being modest?]
[Couldn't it be that the object of comparison is just too strong? It might
mean that he is comparing himself to Shallow Vernal-sama or Kuromusama.]
Eeeeehhhhhhh!? Wait a moment there… I don't know what's going on,
but isn't the story taking an unbelievable turn!? I'm really not strong!
Heck, I've only ever been compared to slimes and goblins, you know!!!?
[As expected of my Kaito! He's my son that I'm proud of!]
[Oi, oi, he's also my son, okay?]
Both of you need to open up your eyes… That son you're talking about
is straight out of a fiction book. It's not real, okay… A- Anyway, the flow
of their conversation isn't good, I need to clear up their
misunderstanding quickly.
Just as I was about to step out with this in mind, I heard a familiar voice.
[…Oya? Akari-dono and Kazuya-dono, what are you doing, standing
around in the hallway?]
[Ahh, Anima-chan! Lookie! Have you seen this book before? It's a book
about Kaito's exploits.]
Anima makes her entrance!? T- This is bad, I feel like this would just
end up in more misunderstandings. If it's Anima we're talking about,
she'll probably raise up my name even higher.
I should have gone out later. No, it shouldn't be too late yet! If I come
out now…
[Ahh, I've read that book myself. However, rather than talking about the
real story, the contents of the book have been overly exaggerated.]
......… Oya?
[Eh? Is that so?]
[Yes, in the first volume that Akari-dono has now, it says that Master
was the one who wiped out all the Black Bears, but that wasn't the case.
Master had only fought one Black Bear… well, how should I say this…
that one Black Bear was me.]
[Kaito fought with Anima-chan!?]
[Yes, I'll tell you about the particulars later… but at that time, Master
stood up to protect Yuzuki-dono, whose legs were trembling and unable
to move, even though he understood the difference in our abilities.
There is no doubt that his courage is to be admired, and seeing the
strength of Master's heart made me wish to serve him. However, it was
Lilia-dono who actually defeated me.]
It was an unexpected turn of events. I thought she was going to
excessively raise up my name again, but what Anima told them was
exactly what had happened.
[It was also not Master who annihilated the Black Bear horde, but Isisdono. Well, even then… If Master hadn't been there, Isis-dono wouldn't
have shown up, so in that sense, it might not be wrong to say that
Rigforeshia was saved from the Black Bear horde thanks to Master.]
[I – I see…]
[As for the content regarding the Harvest Festival, Master's great record
was largely due to Lillywood-dono's help. Though I say that, even
without Lillywood-dono's help, Master would still have won by a large
margin. It's only natural that his kind wishes for Rigforeshia afterward
should be praised, and without a doubt, Master is a benefactor and a
Hero for Rigforeshia. However, as it is a book for the masses, the
content seems to be a bit over-embellished.]
As Anima calmly cleared up the misunderstanding that Mom and Dad
may have in mind, I could sense that her mentality had somehow
changed from back then.
[Fumu fumu… Thank you for telling us about this, Anima-chan.]
[No,and if it's possible… Could you please not tell Master about those
books? Master isn't one who likes being overly praised, so I think those
books will only burden Master's mind.]
Anima replied to Mom's words in a warm and gentle voice.
[Ahh, thank you so much. I almost put unnecessary pressure on Kaito.
Even so, Anima-chan is amazing. It's really admirable how you consider
Kaito well.]
[Such a thing is to be expected of me as his retainer… is what I'd like to
say, but that's not the case. I'm just doing what I like to do because I
want to receive my adored Master's smile. Thus, your praise is
unnecessary.]
After hearing those words, I quietly walked away, trying to not make
any sound. I also put my hand over my mouth, hiding the smile that was
about to appear on my face…
I don't know how to say this… but hearing Anima's words, who
vigorously answered that she was doing this because she likes me… It
somehow makes me feel irresistibly happy.