Chapter 75

"Heya~ Ha! They say!"

Caught between the vast, majestic grasslands to the right and the expansive Laison Grand Canyon to the left, the magic-powered motorcycle and the four-wheeler sped westward, their backs to the sun. Unlike the four-wheeler, which raced along the road, kicking up dust and sand, the motorcycle weaved back and forth between the barren land and the grasslands, its rider reveling in the thrill of the ride.

"...Shia is having a lot of fun. She's even making those end-of-the-world moron noises."

"...Yeah. I kind of want to try it too."

In the driver's seat of the four-wheeler, Aichi, with his elbow resting on the window and one hand on the steering wheel, spoke with a surprised expression. As Aichi said, Shia was not riding in the four-wheeler but was driving the motorcycle alone.

Shia had always preferred the sensation of the wind cutting through her hair while riding a motorcycle. Recently, with the group growing in number, their mode of transportation had shifted primarily to the four-wheeler, which seemed to leave her a bit dissatisfied. Although sticking her head out the window could give her a sense of the wind, it was not quite the same. Additionally, in the four-wheeler, the seat next to Aichi was reserved for Tsuki, so she couldn't cling to him as she did on the motorcycle. Given this, she decided to ask Aichi to teach her how to drive the motorcycle and set out on her own.

As long as one could directly manipulate magic, operating a magic-powered motorcycle was relatively simple. Depending on the situation, one could even control the motorcycle with magic without using their hands on the handlebars. For Shia, this was not a difficult task, and she quickly learned how to drive. She was then captivated by its charm.

Shia now emitted peculiar cries, weaving left and right, occasionally attempting drifts and wheelies, and even performing extreme stunts like Jackknife and Backride, which would make even professional motorcycle trick riders bow in admiration. Although the difficulty was significantly reduced due to the ability to control acceleration and braking with magic, her driving skills were still far beyond what Aichi and the others could achieve. Shia's rabbit ears seemed to say, "Hehe, how's my skill?" with a hint of arrogance, occasionally turning toward Aichi, which was simply annoying.

Some people undergo a complete personality change when they get behind the wheel, and Shia was probably one of those types. Tsuki, sitting next to Aichi and watching Shia, seemed to want to try it out herself. If Tsuki also started with "Heya~ Ha!" it would probably be incredibly sad (Servant: Is it because of her appearance? Shia is more suited to be a delinquent, right?), so Aichi decided to stop her at all costs. On the other side of Tsuki, a young girl of about three or four years old, Miu, leaned out the window, feeling very refreshed. She climbed onto Tsuki's lap, her big, sparkling eyes fixed on the window, and pointed at Shia, who was now doing a handstand on the handlebars, and began to plead with Aichi.

"Daddy! Daddy! Miu wants to play that too!"

"Of course not."

Miu, sitting on Tsuki's lap, started to pout and beg with all her might at Aichi's immediate rejection. Worried that Miu might fall off the seat, Tsuki hugged her from behind and scolded, "No fooling around!" "Uu~" Aichi looked at Miu, who made this cute sound and seemed dejected, with a "What can I do with you?" expression.

"Miu. I'll take you for a ride later, so please be patient."

"Huh? Really?"

"Yes. Riding with Shia is absolutely not allowed... but with me, it's fine."

"Shia-nee can't?"

"Yes, absolutely not. Look at her. This time, she's standing on the handlebars in a strange pose. I don't know what she's thinking... but that kind of dangerous driving is absolutely out of the question."

Shia stood on the handlebars of the motorcycle, her right hand spread out to cover her face, her left hand lowered, and her shoulder slightly raised, in a strange pose, while emitting an American-style laugh. (Servant: Is it "hehehe" or "hahaha"? How do Americans laugh?) (4WT49F: It's "wahahaha~!") Aichi looked at the woman in this beautiful JOJO-style pose with a contemptuous gaze and reaffirmed to Miu, "Even if I can't see, don't let Shia take you, got it?"

"By the way, motorcycles are dangerous, so it's best to avoid riding them if possible... Should we try making a child safety belt for motorcycles? The materials are... jikujiku jikujiku."

"Tsuki-onee. Daddy is jikujiku jikujiku talking. It's strange."

"...Aichi-daddy is just worried about Miu... a bit overprotective."

"Huhu, the master is worrying about other children, huh? Umm, this contrast is... hahaha."

"Tsuki-onee. Theia-onee is hahaha-ing."

"...That's incurable, so don't pay attention to it."

Tsuki stroked Miu's head, who was looking up at her from her lap, to comfort her and engaged in conversation with her.

Since the journey with Miu, Aichi soon gave up on insisting on a different form of address and allowed her to call him "Daddy." Initially, he tried hard to get her to use another term, but when Miu's eyes would well up with tears and she would silently plead, "No, can't I? Do you hate Miu?" Aichi, who could sweep away the demons of Naraku, was powerless against Miu just as he was with Tsuki. As a result, the term "Daddy" gradually became fixed.

Since agreeing to be called "Daddy" (or rather, giving up on resisting), Aichi seemed to care more and more about Miu. Now, he was almost overly protective. Shia is a pitiful rabbit, and Theia is a pervert, so he decided to protect Miu until he could return her to her mother! This seemed to be his mindset. When he overprotected her, Tsuki acted as a safety mechanism, teaching Miu common sense, which was the current situation with Aichi and the others.

Although Miu always clung to Aichi, Tsuki rarely had the chance to be alone with him, so she was slightly unsatisfied. However, she had become very close to Miu, and since Miu was so cute, she had no choice but to compromise.

In the back seat, Theia, in some kind of heated state, began to emit "hahaha" breathy moans. Because it was so annoying, Tsuki used magic to make her stop and covered Miu's ears to prevent her from being corrupted. Then, Aichi, whose thoughts were racing about Miu's dedicated seat and who was muttering "jikujiku jikujiku," saw Shia, who had finally stopped riding the motorcycle and was now grabbing the back of the speeding motorcycle, sliding directly on the ground, and made a slightly unreliable resolution in his heart: "I have to pull myself together!"

---

Aichi and the others were now in the small town of Horuad.

They could have passed through directly, but because they had accepted a request from the Fren guild branch chief, Ilva, they had to take a detour. However, they were already on their way to the "Gurun Great Desert," so it didn't take much extra effort.

Aichi squinted his eyes in nostalgia as he walked down the main street toward the Horuad Adventurer's Guild. Miu, who was on his shoulders, seemed very curious about Aichi's expression and gently patted his forehead with her small hand, leaving a maple leaf-like imprint.

"Daddy? What's wrong?"

"Hmm? Ah~ No, we've been here before... It feels like it's been years, even though it's only been four months..."

"...Aichi, are you okay?"

Tsuki looked at Aichi with a worried expression, her hand covering his arm. Aichi shrugged and quickly returned to his usual self.

"Yes, no problem. I just feel like a lot has happened, and I'm a bit lost in thought. Looking back, everything started here... I spent a night filled with tension, fear, and a bit of self-abandonment, and the next day, we started exploring the dungeon... and then we fell."

"..."

Aichi's monologue, recalling that pivotal day, created a subtle atmosphere among Tsuki and the others who heard it. Tsuki continued to look at Aichi, while Theia asked with great interest.

"Umm. Is the master thinking about starting over? With the original companions? Although I've heard about the master's experiences to some extent... not everyone hurt the master, right? Weren't there some who were good friends?"

Theia had only been with Aichi and the others for a short time, and occasionally, like now, she would ask such questions after hearing the master's inner thoughts. Objectively, she was straightforward, and more simply, she was blunt. This was because Theia not only saw herself as someone traveling with Aichi and the others but also genuinely wanted to be their companion, and she was making efforts in her own way. Although she was a troublesome pervert, Aichi liked her in other aspects.

Therefore, Aichi's mood did not worsen, and he accepted Theia's question. Suddenly, he remembered that midnight tea party under the moonlight. The bitter drink similar to tea, the pure white nightgown, the black hair shimmering in the moonlight, the girl who vowed to protect him, and in the last moment, despite being held back by her companions, she stretched out her hand with a pained expression...

The hands that had been gently touching his arm suddenly tightened, and Aichi regained his senses. Looking up, he saw Tsuki staring at him with a determined gaze, her hand now firmly gripping his sleeve.

Aichi's eyes met Tsuki's, and he returned her gaze with a gentle and warm look.

"Indeed, there were such people... but even if I could really go back to that day, I would take the same path, no matter how many times."

"Oh, why is that?"

Although she could see the answer in Aichi's expression, Theia found it interesting and asked anyway. Aichi's gaze did not leave Tsuki, and he placed his hand over hers, intertwining their fingers. Tsuki's expression softened into a smile, and her cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

"Of course... because I want to meet Tsuki."

"...Aichi."

To gather adventurers, mercenaries, and soldiers, to level up in the nearby "Orkus Great Dungeon," to exchange recovered magic stones for money, and to concentrate merchants who cater to these people, the town of Horuad was always bustling. The main street, in particular, was always lively.

In the midst of the bustling crowd on the main street, Aichi and Tsuki suddenly stopped and stared at each other. Ignoring everything around them, they created a world of their own, reaching out to touch each other's cheeks, creating an atmosphere as if they were about to kiss. Curious and jealous eyes gathered, forming a wall of onlookers, but Aichi and Tsuki remained completely unaware, as if they could only see each other.

"Theia, did you hear that? Can that be considered 'you' two? Only Tsuki, they say. They're immersed in their own world again. They don't care about the situation or the place anymore. What can we do in this situation? It's time to create such an atmosphere with me. I'm always ready to accept it, you know. After so long, I'm still treated as a pitiful character... No, I understand. Tsuki is special. I was originally just admiring their relationship and wanted to be with them. So, Tsuki is special, and I think that's fine. Rather, Aichi, who doesn't treat Tsuki as special, isn't Aichi. I don't want to do something that would make Tsuki sad, or even personally destroy Aichi. But, but... recently, it seems a bit spoiled. It's time to step up to the adult level. I've been looking forward to it all the way, but nothing has happened. Even if Tsuki is special, wouldn't it be nice to turn your gaze this way a little? It's a man's shame to refuse a delicious treat offered to you. It's already so clear, 'Welcome,' but dragging your feet and pretending not to see, this coward! I don't think it's a sin to have such thoughts. I want to be intimate too! I want to do all sorts of things in bed! I want to do the things done to Tsuki! I have these thoughts! As a representative of perverts, what do you think, Theia?"

"Sh-Shia. I understand how much you've been holding back, but calm down a bit. Rather, you're the one drawing attention by shouting such outrageous things in public. Or, did you casually include me in your rant... Being treated as a pervert in public, hahaha, the looks I'm getting are especially cold... hahaha, hmm."

In the middle of the main street, the rabbit-eared girl shouting about wanting to do naughty things, and the young woman who was called a pervert and was now emitting a strange atmosphere, panting "hahaha," the gathered crowd was startled and involuntarily stepped back.

"Daddy~, Shia-nee and Theia-nee..."

"Miu. Don't look at them. Pretend you don't know them."

"...Shia... next time, tie Aichi up and take him with you..."

Aichi and Tsuki were also brought back to their senses by Shia's shouting. For Miu, who couldn't understand what was happening and was staring with wide eyes, Aichi first told her to pretend she didn't know and not to look at Shia and Theia.

Although it seemed Tsuki was muttering something terrifying, Aichi decided to pretend he didn't hear it. If he paid attention to such things, he would always be suspicious of traps when with Tsuki. This was something he wanted to avoid.

(If it's Tsuki, she won't do anything to force me... right? Probably, maybe... she seems to have a history, but it's fine! )

Aichi told himself this.

From a distance, a voice asked, "What's all the noise?" and a few of the town's guards appeared. Aichi, feeling helpless, grabbed the napes of Shia and Theia's necks and dragged them away from the scene. Usually, when they came to town, the envious and jealous looks directed at Aichi, surrounded by beautiful women and girls, were the norm... but at this moment, for some reason, he felt more sympathetic looks, which must have been an illusion.

Ignoring the gazes around them, Aichi and the others finally arrived at the Horuad branch of the Adventurer's Guild. Aichi, still carrying Miu on his shoulder, pushed open the guild door. Unlike other guild branches, the door of the Horuad branch was made of metal, and the heavy sound it made when opened served as a signal that someone had entered.

The last time Aichi came to Horuad, he had no need or time to visit the Adventurer's Guild, so this was his first time entering it. The interior of the Horuad branch was exactly as Aichi had initially imagined an Adventurer's Guild to be.

The walls and floors were marked with rough repairs from damage, and spots that looked like mud or something else were visible everywhere, giving an unhygienic impression. The internal structure was the same as other branches, with the counter directly in front of the entrance and a dining area to the left. However, unlike other branches, serving alcohol seemed to be common here, and a group of uncles were gathered, drinking even in the middle of the day. The second floor also had seating, and people who looked like adventurers were peering down from the railings. The people on the second floor generally had a strong aura, and it was unclear whether this was a rule or a silent agreement, but it seemed that high-level adventurers went to the second floor.

The atmosphere among the adventurers was different from that in other towns. Each person's eyes sparkled with a sharp light, completely lacking the gentle atmosphere of Brook. Adventurers and mercenaries, who voluntarily ventured into the dungeon and specialized in battling monsters, having such a fierce aura was to be expected.

However, even without considering this factor, the atmosphere in the guild was unusually tense, and something had clearly