Chapter 5

Zaza-san, upon hearing about the omurice, prepared a small room for us, saying, "More people will want to eat it."

Even so, the furniture, though simple, exudes a sense of luxury. A large round table with a brand new tablecloth, and four chairs with delicate and graceful lines surrounding it. At the end of the room, there is a comfortable sofa, and on the vase atop the side chest, yellow flowers like gerberas and small white flowers are arranged.

There are countless rooms in the castle that have no specific purpose, and Zaza-san said this one was also an unused empty room. Even if the flowers and tablecloth were prepared because we were going to use it, I wonder if all the unused rooms are furnished like this. I guess they are.

I lined up the omurice, potato salad, and consomme soup on the table, preparing three servings for myself, Rei-san, and Zaza-san. "It's a special privilege for the hero," Zaza-san said with a mischievous smile, making my heart skip a beat. Not bad at all.

The head chef was watching me borrow a corner of the kitchen to cook, so tonight's kitchen meal is the same menu. The mayonnaise I made for the potato salad was also well-received.

It's been a while since I made ketchup and mayonnaise from scratch. The experience of being obsessed with homemade condiments when the kids were young came in handy. After concluding that store-bought ones were better and it was a waste of time, I stopped, but I think I did a good job this time.

"Is it tomato sauce?"

"Yes, yes. It's the tomato sauce I received, further reduced and seasoned. We call it ketchup."

"Is it the tomato sauce we usually use in the kitchen! Wow... Oh, this is—"

Both of them started to bring the spoons to their mouths silently. Yes, they seem to like it. They nod occasionally, but their eating speed doesn't slow down. When men eat with such seriousness, it's really endearing...

"Alright, I'll start too," and as soon as I began, a sniffing sound was heard.

Rei-san's eating speed didn't slow down, but tears were rolling down his cheeks.

"Um, um? Rei-san? Is there something spicy? No, that shouldn't be the case."

I looked at Zaza-san, who called out, "It's fine! It's delicious!" with a panicked face, apparently flustered enough to drop the formalities.

"Sniff... I, I'm fine... It's, it's delicious..."

Hmm. Hmm...

Rei-san continued to eat the omurice silently, occasionally blowing his nose with a handkerchief. Is it homesickness? But would a man of his age cry so openly...

(...Zaza-san, was today's training too intense?)

(What? It was the same as usual...)

"Sorry, I'm fine..."

I lowered my voice, but in the small room, our agitation and conversation were inevitably heard. Rei-san's tears fell even faster.

"It must be the taste of home! It's a gentle, nostalgic taste! I think so even though it's my first time eating it!"

Zaza-san tried to brighten up the mood, but Rei-san, with his fists covering his eyes, just let the tears fall silently.

Umm...

It's just a hunch, but...

I stood up, knelt next to Rei-san, and looked up at his face.

His eyes were hidden by his tightly pressed fists.

"Rei-kun, how old are you really?"

"...I, I just turned ten."

Of course, it's not just me who looks different from my age.

I wrapped my right arm around Rei-kun's large back and gently stroked the back of his left hand, which was already on his knee. Tap, tap, like when putting children to bed. It would be a bit of a stretch for me to do this if I were my original size, but now I can stand normally and it's just right. I'm stretching a little bit.

"Kazuhana-chan is so mature... but I'm not."

Tears that seemed to have subsided started to overflow again.

"No! Rei-kun! I look different from my age too! Right, Zaza-san!"

"That's right! Kazuhana-san is much older!"

Really? Really...

"Really...?"

"Really! Forty-five! Right!?"

"So, you're older than my mom. My mom was thirty-two."

Gulp...

Of course, my kids are adults, but being called older than a man who looks close to thirty is still a blow, even if I know it's true.

Zaza-san is also holding his heart with his fist.

"I thought you were around the same age as Kazuhana-chan."

"Y-Yeah..."

I heard a "buhoh" sound from Zaza-san.

What's he doing, shaking his shoulders? Also, it seems that Rei-kun was friendly because he looked the closest in age. He was supposed to be the youngest, but I, the oldest, looked the youngest, and he, the youngest, looked the oldest.

Zaza-san said that in this world, he is still the age where he lives with his parents, which is the same in our world. Rei-kun is the age where he eats dinner at home. Of course, he would make sure to inform others if he eats at a friend's or relative's house.

I stroked his soft, unstyled hair and leaned my cheek against it. His hair, which was neatly styled on the first day, has been unstyled since the second day. At ten, he wouldn't even care about bedhead.

I'm still not used to the change in my center of gravity. When Rei-kun hit his head on the serving counter, it wasn't because he didn't know his width, but because he wasn't used to his own size. Even during training, he acts according to his original size when he lets his guard down.

It's been a week since we were summoned.

Suddenly separated from his parents, no one treats him like a child. The people in this world are kind, but the kindness shown to adults and children is different.

I remember that on the first night, the maid asked, "Can you sleep alone?" and offered to stay until he fell asleep if he wanted.

That should have been directed at Rei-kun.

"...I'll eat the omurice."

"Sure. Let's eat together."

After exchanging glances with Zaza-san, I returned to my seat and continued eating.

The omurice he must have wanted to eat was probably made by his mom. It's a popular dish that kids love. I hope it tastes somewhat similar.

"Thank you for the meal. It was really delicious."

"Yes, thank you for the meal."

"Huh?" Zaza-san looked puzzled, and I explained, "It's a greeting in our country. It's what you say to the person who made the meal."

"That's a greeting that makes you want to deny it. Not at all rough."

"I don't think it's rough at all. I made it with confidence."

I laughed lightly, and Rei-kun also smiled a little.

"It was really delicious. Can you make it again?"

"Sure. What about next time? Do you like hamburgers?"

"Love them!"

"I'd also like to join again!"

"I see. Hehe, you two are really into me."

Rei-kun's shoulders shuddered with a laugh, and he reminded me of my son when he was ten.

"At first, I was happy to be like Dad."

Rei-kun, deeply seated on the sofa, had his long legs awkwardly stretched out. I sat next to him, close enough to touch shoulders, and Zaza-san pulled a chair from the table to face us.

"Is that suit your father's?"

"Yeah. It's the same as Dad's. He's cool. Dad. Zaza-san is about the same height."

Zaza-san, suddenly brought into the comparison, looked amusingly surprised. Ah, he looked happy when you said he was cool. Rei-kun, are you a daddy's boy?

"Probably much younger than me, but it's an honor."

"Really?"

"Zaza-san... I think kids around Rei-kun's age see anyone over thirty as an uncle."

"Ah, I see... It's an honor?"

However, skipping twenty years of growth... Isn't that a bit cruel? The summoning system. Rei-kun probably hasn't realized it yet.

Zaza-san also looks a bit pale. Given how earnest he was with me, who seemed so mature, the pain must be even more intense, considering that the person hasn't realized the cruelty.

"Rei, is the training tough?"

He seems to have stopped using the formal "dono" on his own, probably to match Rei-kun's level. Still, he can't drop the "san," which is so Zaza-san.

"No, it's fun."

"...We're planning to start practical training soon. We intended to have you hunt monsters in the forest near the town to get used to it."

"Right, I remember you mentioned it."

"I think it's better to wait a bit longer for Rei."

"...What about the others?"

Rei-kun's fists clenched tightly.

"Kazuhana, if the other heroes' appearances match their real ages, we'll proceed as planned, but we need to check their real ages just in case."

"No. Why? I can do it."

"...Rei-kun"

"Because I can do it. I can do it just like Shota and Kousuke."

This child must usually suppress himself.

Given how he has maintained an adult demeanor, he might be the type to think quietly and deeply.

He must have been telling himself that he can act like an adult, just like he's saying now, for the past week.

"Rei, hunting is different from your training. Even though they're monsters, it means taking a life. Killing. From what Kazuhana told me, in your world, hunting isn't done by ordinary people. Here, in the countryside, it's different, but generally, hunting isn't experienced or allowed before the age of thirteen."

"But! If I hadn't told you my real age, I could have done it, right? I could have gone hunting with everyone, right? I can do it! If everyone can do it, I can too! You wouldn't know my age if I didn't tell you! Don't tell! No one would know if I didn't tell! They didn't know!"

He straightened his body, which had been sunk into the sofa, and pulled his legs up, hitting the sofa with his clenched fists. It's definitely the behavior of a ten-year-old, yet his voice is as deep as an adult's.

"Hey, Rei-kun?"

"Kazuhana, I can do it. You must have thought I was strong, right?"

"Rei-kun, the strength Zaza-san is talking about isn't that kind of strength."

Why is he looking at me with such desperate eyes?

Why does he look like he needs to cling to something?

"I'm already stronger than Dad! I can do it!"

"Rei"

"No! That's not fair! You called me, and now it's not fair!"

Zaza-san gasped.

This won't do. Not now.

"Hey, Rei-kun"

"No! I can do it!"

I held his face between my hands and turned it toward me.

"Right. You were strong. Even the adults thought you were an adult."

"Right."

"You were treated like an adult and always kept up the adult act."

"Right."

"You're amazing. You're really amazing."

"Right... Uh..."

"You've been trying really hard. You've been working really hard."

Again, large tears overflowed.

I gently brushed the bangs from his forehead and stroked his cheek.

Slowly, he timidly buried his face in my shoulder.

Ah, I can't hold him in this body.

This child still needs to be held like he's wrapped in a blanket.

The large body of Rei-kun, rearranged by the summoning, and my small body, are obstacles to protecting him.

"Hey, on the first day, did you sleep alone okay?"

"Sure. I always sleep alone in my room."

"Wow, you're really amazing. My son couldn't sleep alone when he was your age."

"Kazuhana's son, how old is he?"

The tension in his shoulders eased a bit.

"He's grown up. Twenty-four."

"He's an adult."

"Right, but you might be more mature. You're polite and kind. You tell me when something is delicious."

"Doesn't Kazuhana's son say that?"

"He doesn't."

"That's weird for an adult."

"Right. It is weird."

Rei-kun laughed quietly, and I could still feel the tears on his shoulder.

I gently stroked his hair and lightly patted his back.

"It's okay."

I whispered the words he had been repeating, now into his ear.

"It's okay."

...

What we need is not a cultural introduction to a different world, but an age limit for summoning.