The next day.
The Third did not come to the academy due to the aftereffects of being kicked by Luke, so Umi had to spend a lonely day alone today.
“I’m worried about Third. Is he hurting a lot?”
I wanted to go back together today more than anything else. I couldn’t go back with him yesterday either, and today, his absence feels particularly large.
Still, the fortunate thing is that I’ve spent a lot of time with Third recently, so even though he didn’t come to the academy today, I wasn’t bothered by the kids who usually tease me.
It was around the time Umi was packing up and getting ready to leave the academy.
“Umi, are you on your way home now?”
“Ah, you surprised me!”
So lost in thought about Third while staring blankly at the ground, Umi had no idea Luke was approaching, and she flinched at his sudden greeting.
“I’m sorry if I startled you. I was calling your name from over there, but I guess you didn’t hear me.”
“Ah, yeah… I was just thinking about something else…”
In response to Umi’s hesitant reply, Luke smiled knowingly and spoke up.
“Are you worried about Third?”
“….”
Umi didn’t explicitly answer, but the way her cheeks flushed red already spoke volumes.
Seeing that, Luke chuckled and said, “Shall we talk for a bit?”
—–
“Really? Your parents are jewelers?”
“Uh, yeah. Well, it’s not that special for dwarves to be jewelers, right?”
Thanks to the topic of conversation about Third on the way home, Umi was now speaking to Luke in a calmer tone than before.
This could be taken as a sign that she had opened her heart to Luke to some extent.
By the way, Umi’s parents being jewelers is quite a remarkable connection, isn’t it?
I was already looking for someone to craft jewels, but it had been difficult since I didn’t know anyone.
The only dwarf I knew was Jempay, the chairman of Tigr Academy, and Gerard’s friend, whom I had asked in the past to look into the etymology of “Ere.”
However, Jempay Saradib was someone who had pursued a career in education, so he wasn’t someone who had the connections Luke wanted, and Gerard’s dwarf friend wasn’t someone I could easily reach out to for help.
But what luck it was for Umi’s parents to have a craft in jewelry!
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much from the beginning.
“Could it be that luck is working this way?”
Well, if it’s due to luck, then who cares?
As long as the results are good, that’s all that matters.
Luke opened his mouth.
“Um, Umi.”
“Yes?”
“Is it okay if I visit your house today?”
“Our house? So suddenly?”
“I have some deeper stories about Third that I can share, and it’s probably rough for you to be wandering outside in this cold.”
“Um, well that’s true…”
Umi was greatly flustered by the sudden suggestion.
She had never brought a friend home before, especially not someone like Luke, as she knew her parents wouldn’t react well if she suddenly brought someone over.
“Still, isn’t it a bit much to do this suddenly…?”
“Is it not possible?”
Luke clasped his hands together, putting on a sincere pleading expression.
Avoiding Luke’s sparkling eyes, Umi muttered.
“U-um, the thing is, my parents are quite typical dwarves…”
“Typical dwarves? What does that mean?”
“You know, the things that come to mind when you think of dwarves from the really olden days.”
At Umi’s words, Luke could immediately recall the stereotypical traits associated with dwarves.
They don’t particularly like magical tricks, have little interest unless it’s craftsmanship or smelting, but they are also jovial, bold, and straightforward.
Moreover, they are especially clear about what they like and dislike.
Generally, the things they like are alcohol, minerals, money, and honor, and examples of things they dislike include other races, children, mages, and so-called “intelligent” people.
Coincidentally, Luke fell into all the categories of things that dwarves dislike.
Among the other races that dwarves dislike, he was particularly aware that they detested Hyun, as well as being a child.
Attending Tigr Academy, being a mage, and indeed being quite clever are facts as well.
How could everything that dwarves might dislike about someone be gathered so perfectly?
While Jempay viewed these characteristics positively, given his role as an educator, it might not be so for a typical dwarf.
Moreover, dwarves are typically known to be stubborn and quick to anger, which could make those flaws stand out even more.
Luke nodded, murmuring, “Hmm… Yeah, I can see why they might dislike me.”
“So… If I visit suddenly, they’d probably dislike me even more.”
However, for Luke, the word “typical” also meant “very easy.”
With a confident expression, Luke said, “You don’t have to worry about that part at all. I’ll manage the conversation smoothly.”
—–
A short while later, Luke arrived in front of Umi’s house.
The fact that Umi’s house reminded him of the tunnels that dwarves love already hinted at their conservative nature. Yet, he wore a relaxed smile and quietly watched as Umi rang the doorbell.
-Ding dong-.
“Mom, I’m home.”
-Umi, are you back? It’s cold outside, so hurry and come in.
The worried voice that came from beyond the door was warm and full of affection.
In that moment, Luke felt a sense of goodwill as he understood the atmosphere Umi had with her family.
“But today I have a friend over too.”
-A friend? Who is it? Isn’t this sudden?
“It’s, uh, Luke Irushi… a friend from another academy. I just wanted to talk for a bit at home.”
-…..
A short pause followed.
Perhaps she was assessing her appearance from behind that magical device.
Even then, Luke maintained his polite demeanor with a slight bow and a smile.
Yet, the voice that finally came through the door was somewhat hesitant.
-Um, alright. Just come in for now.
The voice had changed.
Was that the father?
-Beep–.
With the sound of the lock clicking open, the door swung wide.
“…Alright, let’s go in.”
Umi seemed a bit nervous.
Luke nodded and took a step forward, following Umi through the open door.
—–
“Excuse my intrusion.”
Luke spoke with slightly more formality than usual.
So much so that he judged it was inappropriate to use the casual tone he usually did when his likability was low.
After all, he was the one in need here.
“Um.”
“….”
They were still looking at Luke with slightly suspicious gazes.
Ha, as expected, first impressions are rarely welcoming.
By the way, there weren’t many magical devices around the house, except for the essentials for living.
However, it didn’t feel empty at all; the various decorations such as tables and shelves filled with stones and assorted tools gave the impression that the house was indeed very full.
It could be described as a typical dwarven home.
As he surveyed the house for a moment, Umi shyly beckoned him to sit on the sofa before she spoke.
“Um, Luke? I’ll just change into my school uniform and tidy up my room, so could you wait a moment? I know it’ll be inconvenient.”
“Sure. Go ahead.”
After Umi went into her room, silence began to settle in the living room.
The only sound breaking the quiet was her mother, Yorvmuute, chopping fruit in the kitchen.
– Chop, chop.
As the fruit chopping continued for a while, her father, Homiru, who was sitting at the dining table with his arms crossed, finally initiated conversation.
“Did you say your name is Luke Irushi?”
However, there was a strange emotion mixed in his tone.
“Is it… confusion and suspicion?”
Confusion and suspicion? Surely there was nothing in his appearance to make him doubtful, was there?
As Luke pondered where that feeling could stem from, he quickly realized the reason behind it through his words.
“Could it be… that you think I’m a man?”
Ah, so that was it.
It seemed his name and appearance didn’t align in his mind.
With a bright smile, Luke answered, “Ahahaha, no way! Do you think I look like a man?”
“Hmm, not really. Sorry about that. Your name just sounds very masculine.”
“I hear that often.”
In fact, whenever someone first encountered the name “Luke,” it was rare that they would let it pass without comment.
Even if they didn’t speak about it, it was probably what everyone considered odd, and he would refrain from mentioning it out of courtesy.
Nonetheless, the reason Luke didn’t change his name was that he still thought of himself as Luke Irushi.
After all, that was tied to his “identity as a mage.”
After their conversation about names, Homiru observed Luke closely and asked,
“By the way, aren’t you dressed too lightly for this cold weather? If you’re not careful, you might catch a cold.”
Indeed, there were signs that the weather had become particularly chilly lately.
It was now winter.
Still, Luke didn’t feel cold easily and hadn’t thought of wearing additional outer clothing.
Having never caught a cold, he figured it didn’t need to be a concern.
Yet, there was no need to respond to someone who was nitpicking about his appearance.
And indeed.
Everyone else had started to wear their outer clothing too, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get something for himself to avoid unnecessary attention.
“Thank you for worrying about me. I just wore what I usually do, but it seems to have gotten a lot colder! So I was thinking about wearing more layers next time.”
At Luke’s response, Homiru uncrossed his arms and stroked his beard with a thoughtful look.
“Hmm… You said you go to a different academy than Umi, right? Which academy do you attend? How did you and Umi become friends while attending different academies?”
“I attend Tigr Academy. I happened to know a mutual friend with Umi, and through that person, we got to know each other. After talking a few times, we quickly became friends.”
Homiru maintained a somewhat ambiguous expression as he continued to respond to Luke’s smooth and polite conversation.
Still, it seemed that he had not dropped his suspicion, and Luke thought;
“In this atmosphere that resembles an interrogation, I can’t raise my likability.”
At best, he could only maintain the status quo.
Thus, Luke felt he needed something to turn this icy atmosphere around.
A topic that they both shared interest in and could engage in depth.
Suddenly, Luke looked at the decorative stone on the table and began to speak.
“By the way, this stone decoration is really fascinating! Is it an opal? It’s magnificent!”
It seems that Luke’s selection of topics was indeed on point, as Homiru’s eyebrows rose significantly.
“…Oh, do you know a bit about stones?”
Luke smiled.
It looked like he had chosen the right topic.
