Chapter 97

"Father! It's morning! Wake up!"

In a corner of the marine city Ainesson, a child's voice echoed from the second floor of a house. The time was just past dawn, and the sun was gradually beginning to feel warm. The brilliant morning sun shone through the window, as if forecasting another fine day.

Thump!

"Ah~?"

Under such a sunny morning, still lying in bed and sound asleep, of course, it was Ai. And the one calling such an Ai "Father" with a full-of-energy voice to wake him up, of course, was Miu.

Miu made a beautiful long jump right in front of the bed, as if escaping the constraints of gravity, and landed perfectly on Ai's father's stomach with a score of 10. Of course, not with her feet first, but in a riding position.

Though still a four-year-old child, her weight was already around 15 to 16 kilograms. With this weight, a powerful impact to the abdomen would normally make an ordinary person do more than just groan, but for Ai, it was nothing. This was just a yawn mixed with sleepiness due to being forcibly woken up.

"Father, wake up. It's morning. Good morning."

"…Ah, Miu. Good morning. I'm already up, so please stop patting me."

Pleased that Ai was awake, Miu, with a beaming smile, patted Ai's cheeks with her small hands like maple leaves. Ai, while greeting her in the morning, sat up and gently combed her emerald green hair. Seeing Miu's contented eyes, Ai's face also relaxed. They looked like a father and daughter.

"…Hmm… Ah, Ai? Miu?"

In such a warm atmosphere, suddenly, a voice that seemed to be filled with sweetness rang out. Ai turned his gaze to the slightly lifted bedsheet, where a beautiful girl was rubbing her sleepy eyes with the back of her hand, like a cat.

Her wavy golden hair, which was not disheveled despite just waking up, shimmered in the sunlight streaming in from the window. Her red eyes, like red spinels, blinked. Since she was also naked like Ai, her flawless white skin, the twin mounds barely visible behind her golden hair, and her alluring voice conveyed an incomparable charm and beauty.

"Why are Father and Onee-san always naked in the morning?"

Miu's innocent question, in the end, only meant "in the morning." It was absolutely not suggesting that they were nudists.

Then, Miu looked back and forth between Ai and Onee-san with a puzzled, or rather, a slightly pitiful look, as if to say, "Don't you have pajamas?"

For Miu's innocent question, Ai couldn't say, "It's because clothes are a hindrance," which could easily be misunderstood as sexual harassment. He had a troubled expression and sought help from Onee-san.

As her consciousness became clearer and she noticed Ai's predicament, Onee-san answered the child's innocent question in an adult manner.

"…Miu will understand when she grows up."

"When I grow up?"

"…Yes, you will understand."

Faced with Miu's puzzled look, Onee-san avoided a direct answer. Miu's sex education would be left to her mother, Remia. However, Miu slowly turned her head and, with an even more innocent look, asked another question, focusing on a certain point.

"Father, if this gets bigger, you'll understand? But Miu doesn't have it. Miu can't understand?"

Saying this, Miu began to pat a certain part of Ai's body that had risen due to a morning physiological phenomenon. The force was not great, but the sensitive area being hit made Ai shudder. He quickly picked up Miu and tried to pull her away from "it."

"Miu, you can't touch there. Understand? Miu is a girl, so it's natural not to have it. Don't worry about it. In ten years, no, twenty years, or even a lifetime, it's better not to have anything to do with this thing."

Ai said this with an extremely serious expression, sounding foolish. Miu, with a "?" above her head, nodded sincerely because it was her beloved father speaking. Ai, with a satisfied look, combed Miu's hair again. Miu seemed to have forgotten her previous question and was contentedly focused on the gentle touch.

Looking at such an Ai, Onee-san nearby gave a gaze that seemed to find it amusing. Her eyes contained various feelings, such as "overprotective," "full of energy in the morning," and "how about a morning session?"

Ai turned his face to the side. As the sunlight gradually became warmer, this warm scene continued until Remia and Kaori, worried about Miu's absence, burst in.

---

After conquering the "Merkin Underwater Ruins" and losing their submarine, Ai and his companions had to ride the "Dragonized" Tio back to Ainesson, making them the topic of conversation in the town once again. It had been six days since then. From the day they returned, they had been staying at Remia and Miu's house.

Ainesson was a floating island with a wooden structure and a large population. Since the vast sea itself was infinite land, the streets and buildings in the town were generally very spacious. Remia and Miu's house was also excessively large for a two-person household, and the five of them staying there felt no inconvenience at all, with a very comfortable living space.

Thus, Ai and his companions decided to spend time here to master the ancient magic they had obtained and to stock up on equipment and consumables. Ainesson's seafood cuisine was abundant, and the climate was pleasant, making it a place that felt good. So their mood was half on vacation.

However, even so, staying for six days felt a bit too long. Needless to say, the reason was Miu. They couldn't take Miu on their subsequent journey. Taking a four-year-old girl with no power to the Far East's great dungeon was absurd.

Moreover, apart from the "Haltina Tree Sea," the remaining two great dungeons were in even more troublesome places. One was the "Ice Cave" in the "Shuni Snowfield," the territory of the demon race. The other was the "Divine Mountain." Both required penetrating deep into enemy territory. They absolutely couldn't take Miu to such places.

Therefore, they had to part ways in this city. Miu must have sensed this, as every time Ai and his companions tried to bring up the topic, Miu would become an extremely clingy child and launch her "Ultimate! Silent Plea of a Young Girl!" So they couldn't bring it up. As a result, they lingered, using the excuse of practicing ancient magic and stocking up on new equipment for six days.

"Even so, it's about time to leave… Ha, how do I tell Miu? …She'll cry. She'll definitely cry… Ha, it's depressing."

Ai sat at the pier, synthesizing equipment while muttering to himself in a depressed tone. When he first came out of the Nether, he thought anything in this world was fine, but now, just the thought of parting with a child was making him so troubled. His feelings about this situation were complex.

"Hate you, teacher…"

Abandoning everything in this world and being willing to make any sacrifice to achieve his goal, he couldn't do that anymore. Recalling the person who changed him, his mentor, he couldn't help but look into the distance and complain. However, in front of his gaze were the moon, Sia, Kaori, Tio, and Miu, who was playing tag in the water with a beaming smile, contrary to his inner complaint, Ai's face broke into a smile.

If at that time, he had ignored Miu, who was unrelated to him, or left her in Ankaji, or given her to Remia and quickly parted ways… he wouldn't have seen their current radiant smiles.

Even if he had abandoned Miu, the others wouldn't have felt unhappy or lost their smiles, but those smiles would never have been as radiant as the ones they now wore. This must be because, up to this point, the lifestyle Ai had chosen was not a "lonely lifestyle."

Miu perfectly demonstrated the characteristics of the Merfolk, skillfully evading the incarnations of cheats and happily playing a rule-breaking game of tag (everyone except Miu was "it"). Watching her, Ai sighed again. (Note: This isn't really tag, is it? It should be called "being caught by the ghosts"…)

Suddenly, from between Ai's legs hanging off the pier, a splash! A figure appeared. Emerging from the sea, with her hair still dripping, it was Miu's mother, Remia.

Remia, with her emerald green long hair braided into a three-strand braid at the back, was wearing a revealing bikini. When she first reunited with Miu, she was quite thin, but now, thanks to the犯规级恢复效果 of the regeneration magic, her body had completely regained its former health. She looked not at all like a mother of a child, but rather, that was part of her charm.

Many men in the city aimed to become her remarriage partner. It was also understandable why there were strange clubs for "mother-daughter bowls," as she was a quiet beauty. Her proud, perfect figure rivaled Tio's, and the water droplets sliding down her body were alluring.

Such a charming Remia suddenly appearing between his legs. Ai, who was troubled by Miu, was caught off guard. Remia supported herself by placing her hands on Ai's knees and looked up at him from a rather dangerous position.

However, contrary to the position and the allure of her body, Remia's expression was gentle, even worried about Ai.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Ai."

"What's this sudden gratitude? Being thanked is…"

Looking at the suddenly grateful Remia, Ai was surprised.

"Hehe, worrying so much for your daughter… As a mother, I naturally want to say thank you once."

"That's… Did I slip up? I was trying to hide it."

"Ahaha, no one doesn't know, you know? Even the others have their own thoughts… Miu has met some wonderful people."

Remia turned her head over her shoulder, looking at Sia, who had been stripped of her swimsuit by Miu's mischief and was chasing Miu with her hands covering her chest. She smiled, then turned her gaze back to Ai with a slightly serious expression.

"Mr. Ai, it's enough. Everyone has taken good care of us, so please don't worry and move forward with what you need to do."

"Remia…"

"Meeting everyone has helped that child grow. Despite always being clingy, she cares more about others than herself… That child understands. You and the others have things you need to do… Because she is young, she clings without thinking, but… even so, she has never said, 'Don