Chapter 81

"Father~!! Welcome back~!!"

In the entrance square of the [Orkus Great Labyrinth], the voice of the young girl, full of energy, echoed loudly.

Various stalls were set up side by side, and the merchants loudly hawked their wares to adventurers and mercenaries about to enter the labyrinth. Seeing Miu, who shouted with a voice as loud as theirs, the surrounding combat professionals smiled and their gazes softened.

Pata pata—! The sound of such cute footsteps rang out, and Miu ran straight toward Aichi. She pounced into Aichi's arms with such momentum. Aichi, who was hit in the stomach by the young girl's head like a rocket, should have felt a sharp pain, but fortunately, Aichi's body wasn't that weak. Rather, to avoid hurting Miu, he fully absorbed the impact and caught her properly. (mcb3: Miu is really the strongest in the world?)

"Miu, did you come to pick us up? What about Thea?"

"Um, Thea-nee said Father would be back soon, so she came to pick us up. Thea-nee... is..."

"I'm here, you know."

Pushing through the crowd, a young beauty with black hair and golden eyes appeared. It was Thea, of course. Letting a child like Miu mix in the crowd, it wouldn't be strange if she got lost. Aichi shot a reproachful glance at Thea.

"Hey, Thea, don't leave Miu in such a place."

"I didn't take my eyes off her, but there were some despicable people, and I couldn't let Miu see such a tragic scene."

"I see, is that what happened? ...Then, where are those suicide volunteers?"

"No, Master, I subdued them properly, so please calm down."

"......Tsk, well, whatever."

"......Can you really leave this child behind?"

It seems there were fools who wanted to kidnap Miu. Miu is a mermaid, and to avoid drawing attention in public, she was wearing a hoodie. Therefore, it wasn't strange that some people had ulterior motives, not knowing she was a mermaid protected by the kingdom. Her small, delicate, and very cute face visible from under the hoodie was also a reason. Whether it was for ransom or Miu herself, it was unknown.

Aichi asked about the whereabouts of the culprits with a dark smile, clearly intending to kill them, but Thea half-heartedly dissuaded him. Initially, Aichi deeply disliked being called "Father," but now he was called "Father" quite normally. Could he have a proper farewell in Einson? ...Compared to Miu, Thea was more worried about Aichi.

When Kousuke and the others heard Aichi and Thea's conversation, they were stunned, realizing that Aichi had accumulated a lot of experience and gained strength far beyond their reach in the past four months. "I can't believe he became a father!" Everyone was speechless. Especially the male students, "What kind of experience did he accumulate?!" They looked at Tsuki and Shizuka, then at the suddenly appearing black-haired, large-breasted beauty, clearly speculating. Perhaps, they were more surprised by this than by Aichi's dominance in the labyrinth.

If you think about it calmly, it's impossible to have a four-year-old child in four months of disappearance. But with various shocks piling up, Kousuke and the others, who had survived many near-death experiences in battle, had lost their composure and formed a perfect misunderstanding.

Then, one person stepped out from the stunned Kousuke and the others, her face smiling but her eyes not. It was Kaori. Kaori advanced with a wobbly gait, suddenly opened her eyes, and grabbed Aichi.

"Aichi-kun! What's going on!? Is this really Aichi-kun's child!? Who is the mother!? Tsuki-san!? Shizuka-san!? Or that black-haired person!? Or someone else!? Who is the mother!? Answer me! Aichi-kun!"

Kaori, in a state of confusion, grabbed Aichi's collar and shook him violently. Aichi tried to explain it was a misunderstanding and pull her away, but Kaori wouldn't let go, holding him with a force that made him want to comment. At that moment, a clear voice came from behind Kaori, "Kaori! Calm down! It can't be his child!" Nagisa, while trying to calm her, wrapped her arms around Kaori from behind, but Kaori seemed not to hear.

During this time, whispers spread around.

"What's this? A harem drama?"

"Moreover, it seems he has children with other women?"

"Not just one or two, right?"

"Is it with five people at the same time?"

"No, I heard he has a harem and children with over ten women?"

"But, he hid it from his wife?"

"I see... So it was exposed today?"

"A harem... I envy it so much..."

"What a man... He should have died."

It seems Aichi was perceived as a man who had a wife, a harem, and children with over ten women, and had hidden it from his wife. Aichi, with a sideways glance at Kaori who was still shaking him, couldn't help but stroke Miu's head, who was tilting her head in confusion, and sigh deeply.

～～～～～～～

Kaori, burying her red face in Nagisa's chest, looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole. After regaining her composure, Kaori realized she had been shouting something impossible and her embarrassment soared. "It's okay... It's okay..." Nagisa, who was comforting her, looked like a mother... No, let's not say that.

Aichi and the others were now at the town's entrance square, away from the labyrinth entrance. After Aichi's stock as a man rose and his social reputation plummeted, he reported the completion of the mission to the Roa branch chief, exchanged a few words, and decided to leave the town as soon as possible to avoid various disturbances. Originally, he just needed to deliver Ilva's letter to Roa and didn't need to replenish any travel supplies, so leaving immediately was no problem.

Kousuke and the others followed Aichi, who was trying to leave, because Kaori was following him. Kaori was still suffering from embarrassment and was thinking hard. Should she part ways with Aichi like this, or follow him? She wanted to tell him her feelings and follow him. She didn't want to leave the person she had finally reunited with.

However, she hadn't made a clear decision because of the guilt of leaving Kousuke and the others, and because she was shaken by the changed Aichi. Moreover, Tsuki's mockery, which saw through her hesitation, was very effective.

Kaori also noticed that Tsuki, like her, strongly missed Aichi. What pierced her heart more sharply than anything was that Aichi also considered Tsuki to be "special." The mutual longing between the two, and Tsuki's mockery of "Your feelings are just this much," made Kaori doubt the strength of her own feelings.

Had her feelings lost to Tsuki? At this point, wasn't even expressing her feelings a source of confusion? Moreover, was she looking at the Aichi in front of her, or just missing the Aichi from the past? With Tsuki's unusually strong abilities and her role as Aichi's partner, Kaori... was overwhelmed. In short, as a woman, as a mage, and even in her feelings for Aichi... she had lost all confidence.

Finally, when Aichi and the others were about to leave, a dangerous atmosphere filled the air. Kaori noticed it and looked up, seeing about ten men standing in a blocking formation in front of her.

"Hey, where are you going? You treated our buddies like rags and didn't even apologize? Huh!?"

The men, dressed in dirty clothes and armed, glared at Thea with lecherous eyes. They seemed to be the companions of the men who had tried to kidnap Miu earlier. They had come to seek revenge after being defeated by Thea, but their lecherous gazes clearly showed they wanted more than just revenge.

In this town, adventurers should know about the guild's disturbances and wouldn't pick a fight with Aichi. So, they were probably fake mercenaries.

Aichi and the others were surprised by the clichéd situation of having a grudge with these trashy thugs, but the fake mercenaries misinterpreted their reaction as fear and became even more arrogant.

Their gazes turned to Tsuki and Shizuka, who were exposed to lecherous stares. Tsuki and Shizuka felt nauseous and hid behind Aichi. The fake mercenaries, misinterpreting this as fear, surrounded Tsuki and the others and started to threaten Aichi.

"Brat! Get it? If you don't want to die, leave the women here and disappear! Maybe, if you apologize nicely, we might give them back!"

"Yeah, but by then, they'll probably be broken~"

What was so funny, the men laughed. One of them considered Miu as an object for sexual release, and Miu was afraid. The moment one of them considered the rabbit girl as a tool for sexual release, their fate was sealed.

As usual, the pressure made the entire space feel like it was creaking, and a killing aura like a waterfall descended upon the fake mercenaries. After hearing their vulgar words, Kousuke, enraged, rushed forward but was staggered by the pressure. Although Kousuke's figure appeared in the corner of Aichi's vision, Aichi paid no attention to him and walked toward the men in front of him.

Realizing too late that they had provoked an opponent they should never have, the men panicked and tried to apologize, but the pressure immobilized their limbs, and they couldn't even open their mouths to speak.

Aichi had no intention of letting them speak. Treating Shizuka as a tool for sexual release was already a reason to anger Aichi, and making Miu afraid with their malice made him decide to make their lives more painful than death.

Aichi slightly eased the pressure, making them kneel in a row, and mercilessly executed them one by one, symbolically destroying their masculinity. Then, he kicked the men, who were rolling on the ground clutching their crotches, with a force precisely adjusted to shatter their pelvises... and finally piled them in a corner of the square. They wouldn't have children, and probably couldn't even walk. Whether they would strive to survive from now on was their own business. (mcb3: Suddenly feeling a bit of egg pain)

Seeing the merciless retaliation, Kousuke and the others stepped back in shock. Especially, the male students all clutched their crotches and turned pale.

Glancing at Kousuke and the others, Aichi returned to Tsuki.

"Again, you were merciless~ Truly, you are the master. Though they were enemies of women, I almost felt a bit of sympathy?"

"Usually, you wouldn't get angry~ It must be because of Miu-chan, right? You've become overly protective."

"......Yeah, though that's part of it... I was also angry for Shizuka."

"Really!? For me? Hehe, Aichi-sama is so kind... Thank you~"

"......You saw through it immediately, Tsuki."

"Yeah... Of course. Because I always watch Aichi."

"Tsuki..."

"Aichi..."

In the end, Aichi and Tsuki started to create their own world. Shizuka teased, and Miu, indifferent, pounced on Aichi. Thea made a perverted comment and was coldly treated by Aichi, then sighed. A scene where they were all interconnected, centered around Aichi.

Kaori watched Aichi, who was embraced by Miu and surrounded by Tsuki and the others. The scene just now. Aichi still exercised violence without hesitation, which was different from the Aichi of the past. At first glance, it seemed to negate Aichi's gentleness.

However, why did Aichi get angry and use his strength just now? It was because of the women who were happily laughing by his side. If he had lost his gentleness, would he be surrounded by such smiles? Would he be admired as a father by such a child?

Shaken by Aichi's changes, Kaori had excluded this obvious fact from her consciousness. Moreover, Aichi had entered the labyrinth to inform Kaori that he was still alive and to reassure her. As he said. Additionally, even if he entered the labyrinth again for Kaori, he didn't abandon the others. He saved Merudo, who had a fatal injury, and protected Kousuke and the others.

Kaori realized. Aichi's exercise of violence without hesitation, and his mercilessness toward enemies, was to protect the important people. Of course, it included his own life, but he had a heart for others, which was proven by the smiles of those surrounding Aichi.

Kaori imagined. Aichi had lost his hair color. His right eye and left hand were also gone. Undoubtedly, he had survived from an unimaginably cruel environment. Countless times, his body and mind were on the verge of breaking. No, perhaps... he had already broken once, which is why his heart had changed. Even so, Aichi was still surrounded by smiles and walking his own path.

This fact blew away the fog in Kaori's heart. It felt like hearing the click of the last missing puzzle piece falling into place. She had nothing to doubt. Aichi was right in front of her. The boy she had a crush on. The one called "useless," who climbed out of the depths of despair and saved her with his powerful strength.

If there were changes, there would be things that remained unchanged. This was a matter of course. People change over time, through experiences and encounters. So, was there any need to fear, lose confidence, or hesitate?

If there were unknown things, she could find out by staying by his side. Just like in the classroom back then. Her feelings were as strong as ever! What was wrong with joining the circle surrounding Aichi! Really, how could her feelings become something to be mocked!

Kaori's eyes were filled with determination and resolve. Nagisa, noticing her friend's change, relaxed her face and gently pushed her back. Kaori, with the strongest "strength" in her eyes, nodded in gratitude to Nagisa and took a step toward another battlefield. Yes, a woman's battle!

Aichi noticed Kaori approaching him. He thought she was coming to say goodbye, but Tsuki, with a wary look, frowned, and Shizuka, with interest, said, "Ah, what's this?" Thea also chimed in, "Hehe, a harem drama~" It seemed more than just a goodbye, and Aichi, with a sense of foreboding, greeted Kaori.

"Can I follow Aichi-kun? ...No, I will definitely follow, please take care of me!"

"......Huh?"

It wasn't a greeting or a wish, but a statement of a fait accompli. Aichi's eyes narrowed at this development. Unable to help it, he asked in a foolish voice. Tsuki, who couldn't immediately understand and was stunned, stepped forward.

"......You don't have that right."

"What right? How much do you care for Aichi-kun? If that's the case, no one would lose, right?"

Kaori answered Tsuki's question calmly. Tsuki's mouth formed a "へ" shape.

Kaori and Tsuki's eyes met, then quickly averted, and Kaori looked at Aichi with unwavering eyes. She placed her hands on her chest, her cheeks flushed, took a deep breath, and with a trembling voice, as if suppressing her emotions... declared.

"I like you."

"......Whitezaki."

Kaori's face was filled with embarrassment, anxiety about Aichi's response, and the joy of successfully confessing. And above all, it was filled with a resolve not to back down.

Seeing her eyes filled with resolve and sincerity, Aichi responded with serious eyes.

"I have a woman I like. I can't respond to Whitezaki's feelings. So, I can't take you with me."

Hearing Aichi's clear and straightforward response, Kaori's lips tightened as if she was about to cry, and she lowered her head. However, a moment later, the tears that were about to fall were held back, and her eyes, filled with determination, lifted. She nodded as if to say, "I know." She thanked Nagisa with a nod and took a step toward another battlefield. Yes, a woman's battle!

Aichi noticed Kaori approaching him. He thought she was coming to say goodbye, but Tsuki, with a wary look, frowned, and Shizuka, with interest, said, "