Silrud’s House was a three-story detached house with a garden, and the spacious living room had become Luke’s stage.
Luke took a deep breath and held his cello.
As he began to draw the bow across the strings, Serena’s initially cheerful expression gradually turned to one of shock.
This was because Luke’s performance had reached a higher level than she had expected.
She had thought he would only play some basic practice pieces, but this sounded more like a wonderful solo performance.
Although it didn’t overwhelm the audience as it was played by a single cello, the melody felt like a gentle wave, saturating the heart with feelings of nostalgia and concern.
Even when Luke’s performance ended, Serena remained in a daze until the applause of Mary and Shirud brought her back to reality.
“Wow, it seems you’ve gotten even better. I felt a bit emotional for some reason.”
“…You’re indeed good. Well, it feels so usual now that I’m not surprised.”
Shirud, who had slightly recovered after receiving a potion from Luke, said with a somewhat sullen expression.
To be honest, he had never seen Luke fail at anything.
Specifically, he hadn’t seen him struggle since the first time they went to the internet cafe.
In fact, Shirud’s image of Luke was more of something like a young girl wearing another mask.
Sometimes he even thought, “Wouldn’t it be fine if Luke was thrown into the sea while tied up, and just casually swam back up.”
“Oh? Now that I think about it, that doesn’t seem strange at all.”
It wasn’t particularly hard to imagine; he could picture Luke saying something like, “Haha, my clothes are all soaked,” while walking along the surface of the water with his characteristic relaxed demeanor.
And the thought that Luke might actually be able to do that sent a shiver down his spine.
‘No way that would happen.’
While Shirud was lost in these strange thoughts, Serena was genuinely amazed.
“You really are good. It feels like it was only about a month ago when Yerna asked if there was a place to learn instruments. And look how far you’ve come already.”
It was astonishing to feel such bittersweet emotions from a child’s performance. As someone who had attended numerous concerts as a hobbyist, Luke’s performance was technically a piece not really suited for solo play.
It created a consistently quiet and gentle atmosphere; thus, it felt more like an accompaniment rather than a solo. Therefore, when the performance suddenly came to an end, it left a somewhat flat impression.
However, Luke incorporated even that into his performance.
It lingered in the air as if having had a delightful daily conversation.
That was why she lost track of the fact that the performance had ended.
Serena clapped and said to Luke, “You really show talent in music. Was that a self-composed piece?”
“Well, sort of…”
“Really? You will become a wonderful cellist someday. Should I get your autograph in advance?”
“Haha…”
He didn’t particularly think of becoming a musician.
To be honest, that performance was merely a dialogue with Py through the cello.
If one were to recount the conversation Luke had with Py through the cello, it felt like this: What happened to you during the meal? Where did you go? I went to the World Tree. The World Tree? Why? There’s a lot of mana there, and many friends! Friends, are you referring to spirits? That’s a bit ambiguous! I’m friends with everyone. So what did you do there? Just played around.
It felt like that.
Because it was a conversation of the kind, “Where did you go? What did you do?” it seemed to have turned into a lyrical performance reminiscent of nostalgia and memories.
Thus, for Luke, that performance wasn’t all that different from a mundane conversation in contrast to what Serena felt.
‘Now that I know the language of spirits, it doesn’t sound like the music I used to hear.’
This was somewhat unsettling.
How would one feel upon discovering that a song they enjoyed, not knowing the lyrics, actually had unpleasant profanity or indecent expressions hidden within?
Luke was currently experiencing a similar feeling.
Well, talking with the spirits wasn’t of that unpleasant type, and it was interesting in its own way, but it just meant that his way of enjoying music had subtly changed.
Luke merely accepted it with a nod and was organizing his cello.
Then, another applause came from somewhere.
Clap, clap, clap. A middle-aged elf approached with a leisurely applause.
He was in a suit and had neatly parted hair.
As he approached confidently, all eyes turned to him, and he clasped his hands behind his back and spoke.
“That was a lovely performance. I’m quite glad to hear such a good performance upon returning home.”
Seeing him, Shirud’s eyes widened in slight surprise.
Serena seemed less surprised, as if she had received prior notice.
“Father, you’re here.”
“Grandfather?”
Mary, glancing nervously, whispered to Shirud.
“Is that Shirud’s grandfather?”
Shirud nodded slightly towards Mary, then looked at his grandfather.
“What brings you here, Grandfather?”
“Shirud, I heard you weren’t getting up due to illness, so I came to check on you. How is your health? You seem to be moving well, so I don’t think I needed to worry too much.”
“Yeah, that’s true, but…”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to the sports day. I just couldn’t find the time in the morning. But I did receive the video. That young lady carried you, right?”
“Y-yeah.”
Seeing Shirud’s slightly sullen expression, the middle-aged man chuckled and extended his hand towards Luke.
“Thank you for being friends with Shirud, Luke Irushi… if I’m remembering correctly. I’ve heard a lot about you from Serena.”
“Uh, I see.”
Luke received the man’s handshake with a somewhat confused expression. His exclamation of “Oh” conveyed his realization.
‘He’s a third-circle mage. Quite stable.’
As he shook hands, he let some mana flow, glancing at the circle’s information.
The calm flow of mana he had sensed earlier came from this man.
In this era, finding a user of such stable third-circle magic was rare.
No, it might even be accurate to say he was the first.
Once the handshake was done, Luke expressed his delight.
“Are you a third-circle mage?”
“Haha, you recognized me?”
The man seemed a bit proud, slightly puffing out his chest at Luke’s words.
“Haha, I may be somewhat famous, but I didn’t expect even a child like you to recognize me. I am Sorid, Sorid Trifind of the Triple Circle.”
Sorid Trifind.
A member of the Diana Aston Federation ‘Senate’ and the creator of the ‘Circle Welfare Act,’ he was well-versed in magic to the extent that he could achieve the triple circle himself and significantly reduce the early mortality rate of patients with Mana Accumulation Syndrome through suitable welfare based on his own examples.
The support Luke received was actually quite a lot due to this man.
He smiled at Luke and said, “It’s quite remarkable that you already know my name at such a young age; it seems you have a keen interest in politics.”
He had no idea.
He only recognized him for being a third-circle mage; he had no knowledge of who Sorid was.
“Um… it seems there is a misunderstanding. I’m not really interested in politics. Right now, I’m only focused on magic.”
Unlike what Sorid expected, Luke had a strong aversion to politics.
——–
“The way you handle the third-circle magic is quite unique. Are you able to maintain such stability without suppressing your emotions?”
“Well, how should I put it? It’s not that I don’t suppress them; rather, I remember their state. When I recall memories, it always feels like I’m going back to that time. What’s necessary for the circle is ‘homeostasis,’ not ‘lack of emotion.'”
“True, but it wouldn’t be easy to always hold the same emotions. Fixing emotions to one is quite challenging, isn’t it?”
“Haha, a bit embarrassing to say, but that’s the power of ‘love.'”
“To be able to cherish someone sincerely even while carrying the circle in your heart… I can only say that I find you truly remarkable.”
“Likewise, it’s astonishing that you’ve achieved a triple circle at such a young age. You have an incredible talent. If it were in the past, you would definitely have become a great mage.”
“Haha! Sorid, you have quite an insight. In the past… yes, surely that would have been the case.”
Shirud cast a glance at the two, who seemed to be hitting it off quite well.
‘No wonder I kept thinking about Grandfather…’
His grandfather was probably around 120 years old now. By age difference, that was a whole 110-year gap.
And yet there was no hesitation in their conversation as if they were peers.
Shirud felt they were communicating even better than when speaking with him.
Sorid was also surprised at how well they communicated.
This little boy was quite clever.
If only he had more time, he would like to converse longer.
But it seemed that wouldn’t be possible.
‘Oh, has it really become this late?’
A child sitting next to Shirud had started dozing off.
Indeed, children were nearing bedtime.
“I’ve kept you too long. You must be tired. Serena, can you give the children a room?”
“Heh, yes, Father.”
——
In the provided room, there was a large bed.
Py seemed to like the spacious room, fluttering around here and there.
Luke, following the excited child, looked around the room.
Aside from the bed, the floor had carpeting, and there were tables and sofas, with frames containing pictures and mirrors hanging on the walls.
The room was cleanly decorated with just the essential modern furniture.
However, it didn’t seem like someone was currently using it.
Luke nodded, considering it might be a guest room.
It is usual for noble houses to have one or two such rooms.
Mary, seemingly fascinated, began to inspect the room and spoke up.
“This is my first time sleeping at a friend’s house. And even at a boy’s house.”
Hearing Mary’s murmur, Luke nodded.
Was it a good sign that she thought of Shirud as a “boy”?
Then she suddenly asked, as if she had just thought of it, “What about you, Luke?”
“Me? Um…”
Luke pondered deeply.
Now that I think about it, it seemed I had never slept at a male friend’s house.
The only one I could call a “male friend” throughout my past life was Kail Propsen, but he had been my retainer since birth and raised in the same mansion, so we never had the experience of having “different houses.”
“I guess this is my first time.”
“Really? Ugh, I feel all fluttery.”
“Is that so?”
Luke smiled at Mary’s cute reaction.
“Yawn, I’m so sleepy.”
Mary, tired, yawned and came over to Luke. Luke gently embraced her and said, “Mary, if you’re going to sleep, let’s change into something comfortable now.”
“Okay…”
Mary mumbled sleepily as she rubbed her eyes, while Luke picked up the oddly-shaped pajamas that Yerna had given him.
It was a peculiar type of sleepwear that was a one-piece.
It had a hood, but it seemed he wouldn’t be able to wear it. The horns on each side made it impossible to wear the hood.
Perhaps if it were custom-made, he could manage, but Luke didn’t really have the desire to wear a hood to that extent.
He had often worn a hood when he needed to hide his identity in the past, and while it would certainly be necessary again if the occasion arose, he saw no need for it at the moment.
‘By the way, this form of pajamas is unfamiliar…’
Well, having one-piece undergarments didn’t make it a significant issue historically, but was this design trending in this era? It was a bit strange in shape.
‘But since Yerna said it was normal, it should be fine.’
Luke shrugged it off and put it on.
Just as Mary had finished changing, she approached the bed with her eyes still rubbing.
“Okay, let’s sleep now.”
“Right, let’s… huh?”
Mary suddenly opened her eyes wide, no longer rubbing them, and stared at Luke’s pajamas for a while.
“Luke, do you usually wear that?”
“Um… Well, not really… Is it strange?”
“No, not at all! It’s cute, cute!”
“C-cute…?”
Somehow, Py also seemed to flutter around beside Mary, catching attention.
As he instinctively watched Py sway about, he suddenly heard a click from Mary’s direction and turned his gaze.
And then Py seemed to proudly land on top of Luke’s head, plopping his body down.
That was as if declaring, ‘Success in catching your gaze!’
Luke turned toward Mary with an awkward voice and asked,
“Mary, why on earth did you take a picture?”
“Because it suits you so well!”
“Oh, is that so…? Th-thank you.”
If it suits him, then perhaps it’s a compliment? Most likely.
Luke did nothing more about the photo. At least he didn’t have a strong aversion to being photographed.
Mary smiled sweetly as she looked at her phone.
‘I’ve never seen a hybrid wearing real animal pajamas while sleeping before.’
