Umi sat beside Luke, listening to her parents for several minutes as they spoke about how fortunate she was to have such a good friend, how rare it was to find a friend like him in life, and how they hoped she would stay close with him in the future.
– Click.
Feeling slightly exhausted from the process, Umi sighed as she closed the door behind her.
“Phew, what on earth did you all talk about while I was away that had Mom and Dad so enamored?”
“Well, I thought we didn’t talk about much at all.”
After briefly introducing himself, they made some small talk about his position as the top student, and in the end, he shared an anecdote about helping his family, which naturally fostered some physical closeness and raised their likeability towards him.
Still, thanks to the way the conversation flowed this time, the process went a bit faster, but getting friendly was something that would happen inevitably once Luke set his mind to it.
This was the basic courtesy and life skill expected in aristocratic society.
“And having a basic understanding of various fields makes it much easier to seize such opportunities. Hehe, that’s why you should study.”
“That’s impressive…”
Umi couldn’t really argue with Luke’s words. After all, he was the top student of Tigr Academy.
In a rush to tidy her room and change, she let down her previously tied hair and sighed again.
“The top student of the academy, wealthy, intelligent, strong, and handsome… honestly, it’s incredible how he doesn’t even seem like the same species as me.”
“That’s too much flattery.”
“It’s not flattery; I really think it’s absurd.”
And yet, despite his incredible abilities, there was nothing arrogant about his personality, and he didn’t give off any unlikable vibes; he was truly an amazing character.
It seemed impossible that someone so remarkable could be just ten years old.
It felt surreal to think that such a person could exist in reality.
“I can’t even compare myself to someone like him.”
Thus, Umi felt incredibly small in his presence.
Thanks to Luke’s considerate voice and actions, she didn’t feel this emotion during their conversation, but stepping back and examining her situation from an objective distance made it even more apparent.
She doubted whether she really should be getting close to someone like him.
From earlier, when she heard her dad mention a “crafting commission,” it was evident that he probably lived in a nice house.
There were many aspects in which comparison was unavoidable.
“Don’t compare yourself to others and be too hard on yourself. That’s not good.”
“But… that’s the truth.”
Despite Luke’s comforting words, Umi merely lowered her head.
Her introverted nature, compounded by past events, had likely made her even more reserved.
The environment had improved immediately, but the brief duration might not have been enough to allow her to adapt.
Luke thought to himself.
‘The girl looks like she has low self-esteem. This could become an issue.’
He had just learned yesterday about Third’s taste in women.
However, this kind of personality was not Third’s preference.
“Ah, right. I should tell you about Third’s ideal type.”
“…Oh, really? Is that why you came to tell me?”
“Of course. I asked in detail yesterday.”
As expected, the mention of Third brought a flicker of vitality back into Umi’s eyes.
Luke pulled out a neatly organized piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her.
“What’s this?”
“Right, this is a list of Third’s ideal type that I obtained after quite a thorough process. If you follow it, you could become a woman who catches Third’s eye.”
“Really?”
Luke smiled and nodded.
Umi soon opened the paper he handed her and adjusted her glasses.
Observing this, Luke raised a large cup to his lips.
Oh, of course, this was merely because the dwarves’ home lacked tea cups, so he used whatever was available, which was not actually a cup filled with alcohol.
For dwarves, beer served as a kind of tea or beverage, so they didn’t bother to keep tea cups in their homes.
In this era, typical alcohol purchases were standard only for those over 19, but for dwarves, it was relatively lax; they could buy alcohol alone at general convenience stores if they were over 13.
This leniency stemmed from their culture and physiological differences; they had a significantly higher threshold for alcohol absorption than other races, and without a certain amount of alcohol in their system, their digestive or liver functions would begin to fail, making moderate drinking essential for their health.
Indeed, research has shown that a dwarf who abstains from alcohol tends to have a short lifespan.
Additionally, even though Umi appeared like this, she too was a dwarf, so drinking beer was no issue whatsoever.
In fact, Umi’s mother had handed her a can of beer, encouraging her to drink while talking to a friend in the room.
Clearly, dwarves were an endlessly open-minded race when it came to alcohol.
However, she was concentrating so hard on the small piece of paper Luke had given her that she hadn’t even taken a sip of her beer.
Then, a moment later, Umi suddenly opened the can and started drinking the beer inside like it was water.
Well, since she was a dwarf, that analogy was not far-fetched.
Nevertheless, Luke grew worried at her sudden reaction and asked,
“Umi, why the sudden change? Were you really that thirsty?”
Umi pointed to the paper and said,
“No, it’s just that looking at this makes me anxious.”
That certainly made sense.
To briefly summarize Third’s taste, he preferred women with long blonde hair who resembled intelligent cats, and fortunately, a shorter height or body type didn’t seem to be a problem for him.
Well, hair could be dyed, and appearances could be altered with makeup; however, one’s personality was difficult to change.
After contemplating such thoughts, Luke nodded and spoke.
“Hmmm, I suppose that’s true; it’s hard to align oneself with someone else’s taste, especially when it comes to personality. But there’s no need to worry too much. I’ll definitely help you—”
“No, that’s not why I’m feeling like this.”
“Uh? Really?”
When Luke tilted his head in confusion, Umi spoke with a dark expression.
“Um, Luke. I’m sorry to say this, but only you come to mind. Isn’t it true that Third likes you?”
Luke was taken aback and quickly waved his hands in denial.
“What? No way! That can’t be! Absolutely not…”
…except.
“Ah.”
Wait a minute.
When assessing it purely as information, he had never considered it; however, when he now compared and analyzed the situation objectively, he suddenly thought that could actually be true.
Long blonde hair, relatively small stature, resilient and intelligent female resembling a cat—wasn’t that describing his own appearance?
Various other minor attributes also displayed a considerable overlap.
What on earth went wrong?
Luke briefly recalled the flow of that conversation.
‘Third, what is your taste in women?’
‘Huh? M-Master, so suddenly? I’ve never thought about it….’
‘Well, it is understandable that you’ve lived a life too busy to think about love, hasn’t it? Poor thing. So think about it now. Hmm, how about simply starting with what you like for hairstyles?’
‘Uh? Well, I don’t really have a preference…’
‘At least share something simple. For example, do you prefer long or short hair, up or loose?’
‘…Well, I guess I prefer long hair to short, but the style doesn’t really matter.’
‘Hmm, okay. What about hair color?’
‘…Uh, maybe blonde…? I’m not really sure.’
‘I see, blonde! And how about the impression of the person you like? Between a cat and a dog, which would you prefer? Feel free to compare with other animals.’
‘…If you ask like that, I guess I prefer cats….’
‘Oh, great. You’re talking well! Now, let’s talk about personality. If you had to choose between an introverted type and an extroverted type, which would you prefer as a partner?’
‘M-Master! Why are you asking this all of a sudden?’
‘Oh, enough with the excuses; just answer it. We’re already running out of time.’
‘……I think I like confident women.’
‘So what about height? Do you prefer tall or short? If you can’t decide, feel free to use my height as a reference. What do you think? It’s just a conversation about preferences, so speak freely.’
‘A-Appropriately, I think the current height is proper-.’
‘Hmm, so you like a height like this….’
Now that he recalled it, that conversation had an oddly strange atmosphere flowing through it.
Luke remembered how throughout their conversation, Third had consistently reacted awkwardly, avoiding any further contact, and how he had smiled each time an additional piece of information was uncovered, feeling good about it every time.
Even being mistaken for Third’s girlfriend by patrolling officers came back to mind.
“Hmm.”
Thinking about it quietly again, could it be that he was the one hinting at something?
Even if it was due to the injury, he had crossed his arms while supporting her on his knee before…
“……”
It might soon be necessary to clarify their relationship again.
—
It was time to head home.
Luke bowed his head at the entrance and offered his farewells.
“Thank you for accommodating my unexpected visit today. Well then, I’ll see you later.”
Umi’s mother, Yorvmuute, smiled brightly and waved.
“Sure, take care on your way back! Come visit again next time.”
“Yes, Ms. Yorvmuute.”
Umi also weakly waved her hand, saying,
“Take care, Luke.”
Luke smiled at Umi and simply nodded in response.
Soon, Homiru cleared his throat with a cough and offered his greeting.
“I used to think all mages were boring aristocrat types, but seeing you, that doesn’t seem to be the case.”
“Right?”
Luke smiled at him as well.
If someone’s perception changed because of him, it should be considered a good outcome.
Moreover, it was quite satisfying to know that this person was a skilled craftsman capable of processing the raw gemstone of magic.
“Well then, Mr. Homiru, I’ll see you soon at the workshop. Of course, I’ll pay you fairly according to the current market rate…”
At that moment, Homiru interrupted Luke.
“Let’s skip that.”
“Huh?”
Luke tilted his head in confusion at his statement of not wanting compensation.
Even though they had become friends, typically, dwarves were those who distinguished between work and personal matters and never compromised on the value of their labor.
This meant he was possibly hoping for something other than money.
As expected, Homiru stroked his beard and continued speaking.
“Let’s see, you said it was Tigr Academy, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Well then, next time there’s an event, let our kids hang out together. There are many activities for the students, after all.”
“Uh, sure?”
Umi looked surprised at the sudden suggestion.
It was indeed true that if an event were held at Tigr Academy, various benefits could be provided to the students.
Preferential treatment such as better seating or complimentary perks when watching shows and other events was common.
And if that was the compensation he sought in return, it would certainly have been a great deal for Luke.
However, Luke couldn’t accept such an offer.
“Ah, I’m sorry. That proposal might be a bit difficult for me.”
“Why? Are you saying you don’t want to play with my daughter even if there’s a festival?”
Homiru raised an eyebrow, looking displeased.
But Luke shook his head, making it clear that wasn’t his intention, and began to explain deliberately.
“No, it’s just that I’m about to graduate soon. So I’ll have to forfeit those privileges shortly. Generally, the benefits for graduates are less than those for current students.”
Homiru made a strange expression at that.
“Graduating soon? Luke, how old are you?”
Thinking back, he hadn’t actually asked about Luke’s age.
Since he was said to be friends with Umi, he assumed he would be around 15.
Yet, if he was about to graduate, wouldn’t he be around 19?
Even with generous estimations, he looked no older than 16 or 17.
It felt too immature to be 19.
However, Luke’s answer was far beyond his expectations.
“I’m 10 years old. I’m graduating this year.”
Homiru’s expression was painted with shock.
“…What?”
They say beasts grow quickly, but was that true?
No, still, isn’t this clearly strange?
