Rings on the Ring Finger
We'd bought rings too, and we spent a good long time arguing over where to wear them.
"Obviously the left ring finger! That way we can ward off any pests, right?"
Pests? You mean other women? I have no intention of blocking anyone who comes my way.
"Exactly. The left ring finger is the standard for friendship rings."
There is no such standard.
Ah, could it be? Do they want to wear them on their ring fingers themselves? But if just the two of them did it, it might look suspicious, so they're dragging me into it?
"Hmm, alright. Then let's all wear them on our left ring fingers."
Well, we'd bought them as a set of three. If two wore them like couple rings and one on a different finger as a "friendship ring," that would look weird too. With that in mind, I slipped mine on my left ring finger, but somehow it felt like dating would be impossible from now on.
"To avoid weird rumors, everyone say it's a friendship ring if anyone asks."
"Of course!"
"We'll do that."
Somehow, both of them were avoiding my eyes. Is this really okay…? It's great that you two are getting closer, but dragging me in is gonna make the rumors even weirder…! You wanna hear talk about the three of us dating or something?
These two are such oddballs.
Come to think of it, even in the game, the three of us—up to Lina—were so close that rumors flew about us dating. We never had overt friendship rings like this, but the odds were high we'd had something similar, just unspoken.
"Alright, we've bought everything. Shall we head home? The food should be packed by now."
I hurried my steps, wanting to show my parents the food while it was still warm. Of course, I'd maintain the perfect temperature with temperature-control magic on the way.
"It's been so long since we've been to Theo's house—I'm so excited!"
"I feel the same; it's been ages."
For me, it's home where my parents are, so of course it's great. But for these two, there's nothing appealing about my rural backwater village. What were they so thrilled about?
We picked up the food from the restaurant, cast preservation magic on it, and I asked if they'd teleport like before—me with Iris, Estelle solo.
"I wanna teleport with Theo's magic too!"
Estelle, apparently too lazy for her own spell this time, opted to ride with mine. I nodded—back before we all mastered teleportation, she'd carried both me and Iris plenty of times.
"Okay, everyone hold hands."
We joined hands, I locked in the coordinates for right in front of the house, and cast the teleport spell. I'd bought tons of ingredients and souvenirs unique to the Holy Empire, so they'd love it, I figured.
Close my eyes, open them—bam, we're standing in front of the house. No more dizziness or motion sickness at all. This definitely qualifies as advanced teleportation magic. I'd never botched coordinates once.
Knock knock—
"Mom, I'm home."
Mom, who'd been waiting inside, opened the door with a startled look.
"I was half-expecting you since you said you were coming, but you really showed up. How'd you cover that huge distance, you rascal…!"
She was clearly thrilled to see me, but her words came out scolding, as always. Probably hated thinking I'd overexerted myself.
"I've mastered teleportation magic now, so I can zip back and forth no problem. Don't worry. Oh, Estelle and Iris came too."
"Hello, ma'am! I'm here!"
"Greetings, ma'am…! I've arrived as well…!"
"Come on in, all of you. I figured you'd show up."
Probably only my parents could treat a saintess and crown princess like the son's neighborhood pals. You couldn't get this kind of welcome anywhere else.
Surprisingly, the two of them loved it. Whether because it was my parents or just how they wanted to live, who knows.
"Ma'am, a gift for you!"
Estelle handed over a present she'd bought secretly, without telling us.
"Oh my, what's this?"
"Hehe, a magic hairpin for easy hairstyling. Just pick a style, and whoosh~ it'll do it for you! Saves time in the morning!"
Oho, neat gadget. Mom wouldn't do fancy styles anyway, but she hated even tying her hair back, so she'd love this.
"Goodness… This must've been pricey. You didn't have to."
Look at her—saying that, but already clutching the hairpin tight.
"Pfft, it's for you, ma'am. Price doesn't matter!"
"But I have no mana—can I even use it?"
Magic tools were generally for mana users.
"I'll come recharge it periodically. No mana needed then!"
"That's too much trouble, isn't it?"
"Nonsense! Any excuse to visit you is great! I'd love to see you more often."
Watching Estelle cozy up to Mom all bubbly felt oddly surreal. Like a daughter-in-law winning over her mother-in-law. Not that it was anything like that—just wanting to be nice to her friend's mom. And since Mom and Dad were the only ones treating her so casually, she probably wanted to return the favor.
"I have a gift too, ma'am…!"
As Estelle and Mom chatted warmly, Iris shyly piped up.
Oho, Iris mustering courage? Normally she'd wait till they finished and miss her chance entirely.
"Oh, even you, Iris?"
"Yes, it's nothing special, but… a small cleaning device for housework. It needs mana recharges too, but I can handle that."
"Perfect timing! Ours broke, and cleaning's been such a chore. Thank you so much, Iris!"
"Huh? It was broken? Why didn't you say! I'd have bought one!"
"How could I tell my academy son about that?"
A bit miffed she hadn't mentioned it—I'd have gotten a top-of-the-line model. But from her side, probably didn't want me worrying or spending money.
Anyway, Iris nailing it with the perfect gift was pure gratitude fuel.
"Iris doesn't have much mana, though? I can recharge it when I come for the hairpin."
"No, I can manage that much. Don't hog it all, Estelle."
The two started bickering again, heading toward what felt like a bad end.
"If you're gonna fight, neither of you come. I'll recharge them."
To stop it, I suggested barring them both.
"…Sorry, I won't fight."
"I… won't either…."
Tails tucked.
"Now shake hands, hug, and say sorry."
"…S-sorry…"
"Sorry…"
I swear I heard grinding teeth, but whatever.
'I'll Charge It Myself'
Unlocking an achievement meant I'd safely averted another bad end today. Phew, good enough.
"Mom, eat this. From that restaurant we went to—super tasty. Where's Dad?"
"Your dad's out working the fields."
"Gotta call him in."
I pondered automating the farm with magic. Buying the gear would cost money, but mana? I had plenty.
Of course, if it left them feeling jobless or lost, no way. But honestly, most farms were shifting to mana-automated these days. Hand-weeding was ancient history. With a mana-rich son, we should lead the pack.
"Dad!"
"Well, if it isn't the boy. Mom told me, but you're really here."
Dad eyed me like a curiosity, his playful side unchanged.
"Dad, ever thought of switching to a mana-automated farm? Farming's tough."
Automated meant quick checks now and then, handing off harvests—way easier on the body.
"Nah, that stuff costs a fortune, and recharging mana every time? Thousands per go."
"If we cover setup, I can recharge periodically—no mana costs."
"Oh, my boy's that capable now?"
"Dad, you don't know? The academy's adding an award just for me."
"Really? Why no heads-up? I'd have gotten a congratulatory cake."
This guy still sees me as a kid. A cake? Well, if Dad bought it, it'd be nice.