Back Home (3)
I sent Cecil and Jeden off in a hurry, then the three of us—Ode, Eri, and Luke—gathered around a table to talk.
“From what I can see, he’s a decent kid.”
“Still, it’s tough to judge in just one day.”
“Come on. I’ve been watching him for months. He must’ve picked someone he can trust.”
“True. With the Insight Eye, he’s not just spotting weaknesses anymore. He’s learned to see everything.”
Ode and Eri brushed it off the same way.
It wasn’t like he was someone’s son or anything. He had to have chosen wisely on his own.
Well, he did seem drawn to the right side of the decision.
And that was when Luke finally spoke up.
“Do you remember what I said when I brought you guys back that time?”
“What?”
“You kept telling me to do whatever it took with the brat.”
“Ah, yeah. I remember. Someone said you’d guide him… Wait. Could it be?”
“Yes.”
Luke gave a rare, straight smile and continued.
“It was definitely that kid. The one who took me to you. Or, well, not exactly ‘took’—but you get the idea.”
“What? Then I didn’t even need to dig deeper.”
“Hehe, but it was fun, wasn’t it?”
“Eri’s right. It was pretty entertaining.”
“Well, yeah, but—”
Ode closed her eyes for a moment, then stood.
“I should wake the kids up soon. I’ll go ahead.”
“I’ll come with you.”
We headed over to check on the kids who were just starting to move around, with Cecil in mind—how to explain her as an aunt or stepsister to them.
***
On the edge of the quiet village.
Well, the second mother had sent us after all.
“Jeden.”
“Yeah?”
“Is this place always this empty?”
“It’s not exactly bustling. That’s just how it is.”
There was nowhere else to go.
There was a tiny market square, but it was basically just the locals swapping stuff. No point in sightseeing or anything.
Honestly, it was such a backwater that outsiders were rare. Shops aimed at outsiders just couldn’t survive here, and even the ones that tried usually folded quickly.
Still, better than standing around.
Let’s head there first.
“Jeden.”
“Hm?”
“You’ve lived here your whole life, right?”
“Yep. I never really left.”
“So you must’ve gone to the village market a lot.”
“Not really.”
As I said, the actual village was on the outskirts.
I had no reason to care about the outside world, so I almost never stepped foot outside. Only when something absolutely necessary came up.
Even then, I didn’t go often.
“Really?”
“Yeah. But why?”
“I was thinking of asking one of the shops to show me around.”
“What… There’s nothing worth seeing here.”
I hadn’t visited many places, but even the market only had a handful of shops.
The odds of them having changed since my last trip were tiny.
After walking a short distance, we reached the market square.
Just as I thought—only four shops stuck together.
They weren’t proper businesses. Just side hustles.
They worked the fields by day, fed the animals, handled all the survival stuff, and only stepped up when they had the time.
I didn’t even need to check the shops.
The locals knew each other well, and they’d tell me what I needed later anyway.
Yet here they were, keeping up appearances. Strange.
Let’s start with the nearest one.
The shop closest was a place for cooking pots.
“Excuse me?”
Nothing.
“Anyone there?”
“Looks like they’re out. Let’s try the next one.”
“Guess we have no choice.”
Just as I expected, the owner wasn’t around.
But the quality of the goods…
Hmm.
Honestly, even if the owner were here, it probably wouldn’t change the rating much.
“Then let’s go to the next one.”
“Sure.”
Guided by Cecil, we reached the second shop.
“Welcome!”
“Hi.”
The counter held kitchen tools, paper, ink, cleaning supplies… basically just a general store.
The owner, or at least someone who looked like it, stood inside.
Thin voice, freckled face, small frame.
Not the owner—probably the kid of the house.
He was also brusque and short-tempered, so I didn’t feel like being polite.
“Excuse me?”
“Ah, yes!”
“What’s this?”
“Um, it’s…!”
For some reason, he was flustered around Cecil.
I asked a few more questions, thinking maybe he was shy, but she still seemed uncomfortable.
“What is this?”
“Ink.”
“That’s not what I asked…”
“Haa…”
“?”
A deep sigh from me told me it wasn’t that.
Then something caught my eye.
“What about this?”
“Let me check… A magic catalyst. Not useful in this village, so it’s stuck in the warehouse.”
His gaze was crystal clear.
The mana threads in my left eye provided the information without question.
Cecil’s eyes kept wandering, unable to settle on her face.
Every so often they dipped lower, toward her chest.
When she finally asked him something, he jerked his eyes back up.
…What?
Rage flared in my head.
What the hell is this guy doing?
It wasn’t just attraction. The way he was looking at her was inappropriate.
And with us here, how could he act like that? Did he think we were blind?
Even if she were alone, it was too obvious.
He had no intention of hiding it.
My fists clenched so tight they trembled.
It wasn’t just the creepy stare that made me angry.
I realized something: this house belonged to the village chief’s family.
They were the ones who spoke for the tiny village’s residents, no matter how useless or self-important they felt they were.
If it were just my imagination, that would be fine too.
It was obvious he thought his low rank as village chief gave him the right to stare at Cecil like that.
And my Insight Eye, reading every detail, felt it all the more strongly.
How many times did I need to twist my brain so I could dream of something else?
That was it.
At least, I’d clear that look from my eyes first.
“Jeden.”
“…Hm?”
“I’ve seen enough. Let’s go.”
“…Yeah.”
I almost swung my fist, but held back.
She had endured every crude glance from alley life as a woman. She’d know exactly what that meant.
Still, I decided not to push it.
Even if I didn’t understand, I wasn’t about to argue with someone who felt okay with it.
I grumbled as we left the shop.
“I’m really fine, you know.”
“Still, it’s annoying. What do you think people are seeing when they look at you? If it’s just a glance…”
“Heh, thanks for getting angry on my behalf? If anything, I’d rather just let it slide and move on.”
“…Got it. If that’s what you want.”
“Then in that spirit!”
Cecil pulled two small boxes from her pocket.
“What’s this?”
“Open them.”
She opened one.
“A ring?”
“Yeah. I bought it there.”
“That look?”
“Hehe, good word.”
“Um… that pervert?”
“Hehe. Yeah.”
Cecil smiled with a slightly wicked but undeniably cute face.
“When I bought two rings, his face went stiff. Hehe.”
“You said it was fine.”
“That’s fine enough revenge to laugh it off.”
She gave me a subtle, expectant look.
Her eyes were obvious and adorable, as if begging for something.
Reddened ears, the ring on my finger—all of it.
“I don’t want this kind of thing to be special to me, you know.”
“Mm.”
“So… I’ll try to make it stand out a little.”
“Not just holding hands—how about crossing arms?”
“…Eep.”
Yeah, that was the only meaning behind it.
I fiddled with the ring in my hand.
The moment felt right, and my heart agreed.
I gently took her outstretched hand.
She slipped the black-pointed ring onto her finger and handed it to me.
“Cecil.”
“Mm?”
“This… don’t put too much meaning into it.”
“What do you mean?”
It sounded like cold water, but we were just a couple trying to match the rings.
It was a shame to settle for such low-quality stuff.
Especially since we both bought them with her money.
So.
“This is just a mark.”
“What kind?”
“A mark that says you have a partner.”
“…”
“Then that stare from earlier will fade, and you’ll know we’re a couple just from seeing my hand.”
That was it.
My plan to buy an elegant ring and propose in a fancy atmosphere hadn’t even started yet.
But leaving her left hand bare felt wrong.
Not something private between us—a public declaration to everyone.
“I wish it meant something to us too.”
“Then let’s make it official. A declaration to the world that we’re a couple, and something we remember.”
“Too stiff.”
“Um… it means ‘this one’s mine’?”
“Hehe. I like it.”
While she spoke, the simple black-pointed ring slid onto her left ring finger.
“Now I’m yours?”
“…I was already yours.”
“…! H-hang on, do it one more time.”
“Get lost.”
“Mwah. Just once.”
There was a small accidental touch as she leaned in.
“Let me see your hand too.”
“…Yeah.”
Soon a white ring appeared on my left ring finger.
“Hehe, now I’m yours too?”
“…Yeah.”
Our hair-matching rings sat on each of our left ring fingers.
It felt… odd.
We had always vaguely known what we were to each other, but now it finally felt real.
We were inseparable lovers—no escape.
Recently, I kept feeling that I could never get used to the emotion, yet here I was again, holding her hand gently.
