This place feels quite secluded for a welcome party, Third thought.
However, the back alley, where light hardly reaches, was far too familiar to him, so he felt no worry at all.
As Third entered the alley, familiar faces began to come into view.
The one who proposed this “welcome party,” the guy they called the “leader” of another class.
“Carlos.”
The resident favorite, a kind of leader figure.
Seeing Third’s outfit, he burst into laughter and said, “Wow, you little punk. Still wearing your uniform on a holiday?”
To that, Third casually replied, “Ah, if I wear casual clothes, no one would recognize me as a student at the Academy.”
Third wore his uniform to save a bit on bus fare for the trip here.
After all, if he paid the youth fare in casual clothes, it could lead to troublesome situations depending on the bus driver.
Hearing this, Carlos laughed even harder. “Hahaha! That makes sense! You’re quite the old man!”
In many ways, he didn’t look like a student at all, with that face.
Soon, he started to quiet down, took out a cigarette, and asked, “Anyway, have you thought about my proposal?”
At those words, Third recalled the offer he received a few days ago.
“To take over the class right after transferring? That’s quite a useful talent; are you thinking of joining me?” he had said.
“I thought about it, but I really have no intention of being under someone else. You didn’t call me here just for that, did you?”
“Impossible, I just wanted to form a close relationship with you. The welcome party is genuine.”
Honestly speaking, that face had its uses.
A fierce-looking face capable of commanding a class without throwing a punch!
Just being seen with him would feel as reassuring as walking a fearsome-looking guard dog.
Carlos pointed at the kids lined up behind him with his thumb and smiled.
The kids returned friendly smiles.
They seemed genuinely interested in getting closer.
Third nodded at that.
Having given up even his master’s birthday to come here, it would have been unbearable if Carlos had called him all this way just to spout trivial nonsense.
“But why did we gather in such a remote place? I almost mistook it for something else.”
“Well, if we all want to smoke, we can’t do it on the street, can we?”
It would be inconvenient for teenage kids who might get caught by the police while smoking.
As Third looked at him, wondering if he needed to explain this, he realized why he couldn’t relate with them.
“Oh, you might be alright.”
Though they all looked tough for their age, they didn’t give the impression of being adults.
But Third was different. He had a bizarrely mature look that gave no hint of being a student at all…
With that face, who would dare say anything if he smoked on the street?
He merely nodded in agreement.
“But do you smoke too? Want a puff?”
“I used to, but not anymore.”
“Oh?”
Seeing Third shake his head, Carlos tucked the cigarette pack back into his pocket and exhaled a puff of smoke.
“By the way, one guy is late. What’s taking him so long?”
At that moment.
“Carl! This is bad!”
“What happened?”
A kid with a messy haircut suddenly shouted in a panic.
He handed his phone to Carlos and said, “Gideon seems to have been caught by those kids from Strel Academy!”
“What? Is that true?”
He had never gotten along well with those from Strel Academy.
He’d heard that their relationship had been bad since the days of their upperclassmen, and even now, the Strel Academy kids frequently provoked them.
And since they pierced their side first, they couldn’t just sit back, and once they responded, the other side couldn’t hold back either, leading to a deep rift between the two academy kids.
It seemed that Gideon had run into those kids on the street by coincidence and was now being messed with.
‘These bastards, how cowardly…!’
Carlos ground his teeth.
Of course, they had initiated it, but back then, it was more of a fight between groups.
If they lost that, they should have been humbled as losers; how dare they!
Sensing the unusual atmosphere, Third approached Carlos and asked, “What’s going on?”
“Ah, Third, do you know how to fight?”
——-
“Now, this is Pyris, and over here is Diana. Say hello.”
“Hello, sister!”
“Hi!”
Following Luke’s words, the two kids bowed in front of Mary and Shirud.
Upon seeing that, Mary patted Pyris’s head and said, “I didn’t know Luke had a younger sister! How cute!”
“Haha, I didn’t mention it.”
It was true that he was intentionally trying not to reveal that Pyris was a spirit, but he hadn’t actively hidden her existence.
If Mary asked why she didn’t know about Pyris, he could only say there hadn’t been an opportunity to talk about it.
Shirud had met them all during a previous school trip, but Mary hadn’t.
“Pyris looks exactly like you! So cute!”
“Eek.”
With sky-blue hair and turquoise eyes, and exhibiting no traits of the beastman tribe, her appearance was indistinguishable from an ordinary human. However, her features bore an uncanny resemblance to Luke.
If Pyris had inherited any beast-like traits from Luke, it might have been quite difficult to tell them apart.
“Was Luke like this when he was younger? How does it compare?”
“Well…”
Luke smiled awkwardly.
He had no memories of being “younger” in the first place.
Well, he could only guess it might have been like that.
For a while, Mary kept petting Pyris’s head, stretching her cheeks and rubbing them against hers, until Pyris squirmed and shook her off.
She must have been too bothersome.
As she watched the blue-haired girl dash away, she noticed Diana, hiding behind Luke’s body.
Luke was lucky that both of his younger sisters were so cute.
“But wait, you have two younger sisters! I’m jealous.”
But Luke shook his head in response.
“No, this one isn’t my younger sister; she’s my ‘aunt.'”
“…Huh? Aunt?”
“Yeah, she is listed as such in the family registry. She’s my ‘father’s’ younger sister.”
“…? The aunt should be, you know, older…? Huh? I just told her she was cute… That is… Oh, I apologize! I’m sorry!”
“Sister, why did that sister suddenly…”
Surprised by Mary’s reaction, Diana pulled up Luke’s dress with even more vigor and hid behind it.
Seeing that, Luke waved his hand and laughed.
“You’re actually younger, so there’s no need to feel that way.”
“Huh? So, that means… My sister is indeed my sister, then?”
“Yeah, right. Just treat her like my younger sister. That’s how I see her, as well.”
“Uh, okay.”
Mary nodded as if she understood.
She still didn’t fully grasp it.
“By the way, Diana. You said you had something to tell Shirud? Go ahead now.”
“Uh… Okay…”
The red-haired girl, Diana, approached Shirud timidly and said,
“Um, brother. Let’s forget about our engagement. I don’t want to be a bride anymore. So… bye!”
With that, Diana rushed off after Pyris.
However, the impact of her words was enormous.
Mary began to stare at Shirud as if she had heard something truly strange.
“What?!”
Mary grabbed Shirud’s arm and asked.
“You were engaged to her? But suddenly she doesn’t want to be a bride… What in the world did you do to her?”
Shirud could only be flustered.
“No, it’s not like we were actually engaged…! It’s a misunderstanding! I mean, this is how it happened…!”
He was so flustered he didn’t even know how to explain!
As Shirud looked at Luke as if seeking help, Luke came closer to Mary and began to explain in detail.
——-
Luke calmly and slowly explained about the incident that happened while they were at Beriton during the old school trip and the special plane used by Shirud.
He even mentioned that Diana had completely given up on becoming a bride during ‘bride training’.
Finally understanding the situation, Mary said, “Ah, is that what it was? I’m sorry; I misunderstood.”
“I told you, I didn’t do anything…”
“Honestly, even an engagement at our age is surprising, and with her suddenly not wanting to be one, I thought he must have harassed her!”
At that moment, Thomas Idel called for Mary.
“Mary! Can you come here for a moment, dear?”
“Okay, Dad! I’ll be right there! Sorry, everyone, I’ll just be gone for a bit!”
“Sure. Take your time.”
“Alright, off I go.”
And just like that, the moment when only Shirud and Luke remained.
“Anyway, it seems like the party is receiving quite a good response. I’m really relieved.”
Luke said, looking around.
“Well, we did prepare this much.”
Shirud casually scanned the area, following Luke’s gaze.
“I was a bit worried at first, but I’m glad it worked out. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. Shirud, the performers you invited are quite good too.”
“Well, that’s true.”
Shirud looked away from Luke’s praise and bright smile.
For some reason, he found it difficult to meet Luke’s gaze today.
He seemed prettier than usual…
Was it because of that dress?
The platinum color resembling Luke’s hair suited her perfectly.
Noticing Shirud’s reaction, Luke sighed slightly and spoke.
“Shirud, if my appearance bothers you, I wish you would just say it. There’s no need to fumble around avoiding eye contact.”
“Huh? No, that’s not it…”
“I just want you to be honest. The makeup must look strange, right? So you can’t look me in the eye.”
Luke said, pointing to his face.
Indeed, makeup on a child’s face seemed a bit premature.
The servants had dressed her up against her wishes, and she hadn’t done it out of any desire, but if there were any mistakes, it could only be due to the makeup.
“I did only a little, being careful not to damage the skin… But I guess it must look strange to others. Yeah, I knew that. There’s no way makeup would suit me. Wait here; I’ll wash it off quickly.”
Upon hearing Luke’s lengthy lament, Shirud seemed genuinely unaware.
“…Huh? You put on makeup?”
In amusement, Luke shook his head and replied.
“Don’t pretend you didn’t notice… How have you become so cunning already?”
If it was a thought that came to him on the spot, he deserved quite a compliment.
It truly was a wizard’s way of thinking.
So, saying “I didn’t know you wore makeup” would be a lie, but asking, “Huh? Did you put on makeup?” was just a question, hence not a lie.
Wizards can say anything as long as it’s not a “lie.”
Thus, that statement must have been an evasion to avoid lying…
“No, I really didn’t know! The, the makeup seems well done!”
“…Really?”
Apparently, it seemed she hadn’t been lying.
So, did she instinctively find those words?
Looks like she was truly a gifted child in magic…
But then, why couldn’t she look him in the eye?
There are several reasons why a person can’t meet someone else’s gaze.
When something has gone awry, or when they’re hiding something from the other party, it becomes difficult to meet their eyes.
Wait, hiding something…?
As he sensed a certain mana flowing from Shirud’s arms, Luke smiled softly.
By reading the magical sight, it was evident that she had something magical concealed.
“….I see.”
Hmm, I understand now. Is she hiding a gift?
In that case, I should pretend not to notice for now.
It wouldn’t be polite to steal away the joy of the giver.
“I get it, I trust you.”
“Uh, okay…”
And it was then that Luke sensed a change in the surroundings.
– Murmurs.
“Look at that kid, they’ve been eating a ton since earlier.”
“How can they eat all that? Impressive.”
“Isn’t that going to give them a stomachache?”
Following that gaze, there was Pyris, quite literally at war…
No, waging a ‘battle’ over food.
“Hmm! Yum~!”
Pyris held large chunks of meat on two forks and stuffed them into her mouth, chewing happily.
However, the sight on the other plate was concerning.
“One moment, Shirud. I’m going to excuse myself for a bit.”
“Okay, go ahead.”
———————
Luke quickly approached Pyris.
“Hey, Pyris? Just how many servings are you eating by yourself? You don’t normally eat this much.”
At Luke’s words, Pyris beamed and cheerfully exclaimed, “Yeah! There’s nothing to eat at home!”
“Wah! Your voice is loud!”
It was true there was nothing to eat at home.
If left alone, Pyris would eat it all.
Therefore, there wouldn’t be leftover food.
This was why going grocery shopping once a day had turned into a routine.
However, if that’s how it was said…
‘Oh no, it seems there’s no food at home.’
‘How pitiful, is that why she’s gorging like this…?’
‘People are staring oddly!’
Luke forced a smile, trying to explain, “So isn’t it because you go grocery shopping every day? You eat everything at home, so there wouldn’t be any leftovers.”
At this, Pyris crammed more food into her mouth, nodding as she exclaimed, “Yeah! But, my sister always gives me a little!”
“…!”
Was she saying that she only gave her a little?
Eating the equivalent of two athletes’ portions for every meal by herself, it was baffling how she could say that.
“And when my sister goes to school, she eats to her fill before coming back! During those times, I’m always just looking for the canned food she’s hidden at home…”
“Wait, hang on…!”
Luke was startled by Pyris’ sudden statement.
‘Oh no, have they been too poor to eat well…?’
‘She’s envious of her sister who eats well at school…?’
‘How pitiful…’
‘What kind of jobs do her parents have if they can’t even provide proper meals for their children?’
The murmurs among the crowd began to crescendo.
In order to manage this atmosphere, Luke seriously contemplated whether he should announce that Yerna and Dayton were forest keepers, and it wasn’t that their home was poor but simply that Pyris had an outrageous appetite, and that the forest keeper’s monthly income was this much.
At that moment, Yerna, who had gone momentarily to the restroom, also sensed the delicate tension in the air as she returned.
Wondering what the matter was, Yerna approached Luke and Pyris.
“Um, what’s going on? Did you two do something?”
“Yerna…”
Luke looked up at Yerna and asked, “Yerna, we’re not poor, right? Isn’t that true?”
Yerna hesitated at Luke’s question.
Certainly, in a home so cramped that they couldn’t even host a birthday party for friends and couldn’t have their own room, it was understandable she’d feel small in the face of such a large gathering.
Even if words tried not to bother her, it might’ve turned out this way…
Yerna averted her gaze slightly and answered, “I’m sorry, it’s just because my sister is a forest keeper…”
“No, Yerna, that’s not it!”
But it was too late.
Everyone who overheard the conversation had etched in their minds the idea that “forest keepers earn so little they can’t even afford to feed the children.”
Very few people typically cared about forest keepers.
And most of the people here were wealthy individuals capable of sending their children to Tigr Academy, politicians, and businesspeople.
“It seems we should increase the welfare benefits related to forest keepers from now on.”
“Then the next policy should reflect forest keepers.”
How this small ripple would return as a storm, no one could possibly know.
