Chapter 31

I took the Garguille species child and left the store.

The child, which was particularly small even among the small species, followed quietly by my side.

Like a small dog or a foal.

A child about that size.

Sometimes, the child was at the same eye level as Louise and the others, or even had to look up at me, but with this child, I always had to look down.

With this Garguille species child, I walked through the town, heading back to the inn.

"Right, we need to give you a name."

"..."

"If you have any preferences, let me know."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Hello?"

Since there was no response, I waved my hand in front of my eyes to get their attention.

"…What?"

"Did you hear me? We need to decide on a name."

"I heard you. I didn't think it was about me."

"Oh."

I nodded slightly.

I see, that makes sense.

Regular dragon knights don't usually give names to their dragons.

"Sorry, I didn't explain it well. So, do you have any preferences for a name?"

"…No."

"No?"

"Yes, any name is fine."

"I see."

I nodded again.

I understood a lot.

That's the kind of child, I guess.

Well, if that's the case, it's fine.

Dragons, like humans, have various personalities.

You can't tell a quiet personality to "change your personality!"

That's not what I want.

No, it isn't.

"Then, can I just give you a name and call you by it? It's inconvenient for me as a human if you don't have a name."

"Sure, do as you like."

"Thank you. How about Yui?"

"..."

The Garguille species child showed a very faint reaction.

It was hard to tell if it was an OK or an NG, but from past experiences, I could tell that a faint reaction didn't mean no.

"Then, I hope we get along, Yui."

"..."

The reaction was still faint, but at least the name was decided.

"By the way, Yui, I heard that Garguille species children have the ability to make their surroundings blend in. Is that true?"

"…Yes, it's true."

"What's it like? Can you explain it?"

First, I asked Yui for an explanation.

I knew that Garguille species had this ability, but I didn't know the specifics.

More often than not, things I only know theoretically turn out to be different in reality.

For example, with Colette, a Mushufushu species, I knew that she had three stomachs that weren't used for digestion and could be used for storage or transportation, but I didn't know that using them would make her whole body swell up.

When I saw it, I thought, "Oh, that makes sense," but until I saw it, it didn't even cross my mind.

So, I wanted Yui to explain it, and if possible, demonstrate it.

"Explanation…"

Yui thought for a moment.

"There are two types."

"Two types."

"Living things that touch me disappear and become invisible."

"Wow, they become invisible?"

"Yes, just invisible. If they make a sound, they can still be heard."

"Hmm."

"But if they're not touched, they can't be seen at all."

"I see. It's good that the rules are clear."

I nodded slightly.

It's good that there are no strange exceptions.

"What about the other one?"

"Everything around me becomes invisible."

"Everything around you?"

"…Range."

"Range."

I repeated Yui's words.

I pondered the meaning of those words.

"…I don't understand, can you show me?"

"Sure, no problem."

"Alright."

Since I had the chance, I wanted Chris and the others to see it too.

Thinking that, I hurried back to the inn with Yui.

☆

"Welcome back, Master."

"The innkeeper is bringing food."

"It's cold, so should we ask them to make it again?"

When I returned to the inn and went inside, Louise and the other three from the dragon stable side greeted me.

"Back. The food is fine, I'll eat it later. More importantly—"

I glanced to the side.

The Yui I brought back was looking at Louise and the others with a blank expression, even though she was a dragon.

"Is this the new one?"

Colette, noticing my gaze, asked first.

With Colette's question, Louise and Emma also noticed Yui.

"Yeah, that's right. She's one of the smaller dragons, so you might not have noticed."

"Kukukuku, that's not the reason."

This time, Chris spoke.

The medium-sized Chris, without coming over, spoke from where she was lying on the ground in the dragon stable part.

"Isn't that the reason?"

"That's because the three of you were only focused on your heart friends."

"Is it because she's small?"

"Kukukuku, let's say that's not entirely false."

"???"

What does that mean?

Well, it doesn't matter.

Chris often says things that are deliberately vague, but it's not a new thing.

Rather, when Chris says something vague, it's usually not a big deal, just casual conversation.

So, it's fine for now.

"Let me introduce you. This is Yui, a Garguille species. Yui, these are Louise, Emma, and Colette."

I said this and introduced them to each other.

"…"

"What, a quiet one, huh?"

"Yeah, seems to be that kind of personality."

"Hmm, is that okay?"

"But—"

"Indeed, as my heart friend says. There are those who, for some reason, choose to act in a high-handed manner—"

"Snap!!"

"Whoa!"

I couldn't help but exclaim.

When Chris said something, Colette turned around and, with a speed that could only be described as lightning-fast, pounced and bit her.

These two really do get along well.

On the other hand—

"I'm Louise, nice to meet you."

"I'm Emma. Let's work hard together."

"…"

The other three smoothly introduced themselves.

They weren't close yet, but it should be fine for now.

"Alright, Yui. Can you show me the other camouflage?"

"…Okay. Is that okay?"

"Is that okay? Oh, they seem to get along well, so it should be fine."

"Okay."

Yui nodded and started walking.

She headed towards Chris and the biting Colette.

She stood in front of the two who were playfully biting each other.

The next moment—

"Hmm."

I furrowed my brow.

I furrowed my brow at the sight of Colette biting Chris.

"Hey, hey, what are you two doing? Why are you so hostile to each other?"

"Huh? What's the big deal?"

"Hmm…"

Colette, still biting, mumbled, and Chris grinned.

But more importantly—

Just as I was about to say something, again—

"Huh?"

I was taken aback.

Colette was still biting Chris, but she was looking at me with a puzzled expression.

It was a familiar scene.

"What… did I think you two were so hostile?"

"This is the other camouflage."

"The other one?"

At Yui's words, I imagined something in my head.

To confirm, I asked Yui.

"Can you explain it in more detail?"

"As you see, it changes the perception of what you see."

"Perception?"

"It's visible, but the way you perceive it changes."

"Perception…"

I recalled the scene I saw and the feeling I got.

I realized, "That's right."

"For example,"

"…"

"If there was a human corpse on the street, you could make it seem like 'It's normal to see a corpse on the street,' right?"

"…Yes."

Yui nodded clearly.

"I see, that's how it works. This could hide a Galian's field."

"Kukukuku, as expected, my heart friend, you catch on quickly. But it's not just that."

"Do you know something, Chris?"

"Yes. A Garguille species, right? It would be interesting to contract with one. A contract between my heart friend and a Garguille species would be very interesting."

"A contract?"

I looked at Yui.

Since Chris said it so clearly, I was a bit hopeful.