The Reluctant Guardian
"You want me to play the role of Sophia's guardian for the parent-teacher conference?"
Ravi had sprung that request on me the next day.
The location was the ever-familiar Cafe Eclipse.
I'd been savoring the crisp morning air—still carrying a hint of coolness despite the summer heat—when she burst in and dropped that bombshell.
"Yes! I really want Jade to do it!"
"Huh."
The parent-teacher conference at Jewelry Academia.
I'd already heard from Amber about the event coming up in a week, but having the arrow pointed my way was a shock all the same.
I've got plenty of time anyway, so it's not a big deal...
But why was Ravi, Sophia's friend, asking me instead of the girl herself? And why on earth did an outsider like me need to step up as her guardian? I racked my brain for reasons, but nothing made sense.
"Look, there's something awkward you're not saying, but her parents are around, right?"
I'd heard somewhere that her mother was especially strict, making things tough for her every time. I threw that back at Ravi to emphasize the point—
"Oh, I haven't seen that coffee grinder before. Did you buy a new one?"
"You can tell? It was a gift, but get this—it's from Brilliant of all—hey, no changing the subject."
I nearly derailed the whole important conversation into a grinder brag. What a scatterbrain, asking a favor from someone and still zoning out like that.
"I owe you one anyway, so I'd like to help if I can. Just explain it properly."
Before, Ravi had taken on that Brilliant cosmetics ad to divert the excessive attention aimed at me.
She'd never done any ads despite her fame, so twisting her arm for that meant I owed her this much at least.
"The truth is, that girl—"
At my words, she took a sip of her cappuccino, gave a wistful smile, and launched into Sophia's story.
About her parents' current situation and why they couldn't make the conference.
About five minutes later, now fully briefed, I couldn't hide my unease and let out a small sigh.
"Jeez. You should've said something sooner if it's like that."
Sapphire, the world's hero magical girl, was living in a far more tragic family situation than I'd imagined.
To think she hadn't gone off the rails despite all that. Suddenly, I respected her even more.
"Couldn't you just have a butler or maid stand in? I've heard plenty of kids do that."
If it was a household servant, maybe—but could someone with zero connection like me really pass as Sophia's guardian?
"They'd probably just phone it in. The servants at Sophia's place haven't even been there three years."
"Three years... Not exactly prime material for a real conference."
"It's not like they scrutinize tenure that much, but a random servant showing up would be pointless, right?"
With that, Ravi handed me the parent-teacher conference notice she'd seen at home yesterday.
"Let's see... 'Servants may attend with approval from guardian or legal representative'... So you're asking me to do this?"
"Of course!"
Her bright smile didn't exactly fill me with joy. If anything, it just added to my worries.
Something's fishy here.
From her tone, Ravi wasn't just shoving this on me thoughtlessly. So the real issue lay deeper.
Leaving hints like that made her expectations crystal clear.
On any other day, I'd have shot it down flat. Getting too chummy with magical girls never ends well.
But it nagged at me. Was I feeling bad for dragging misfortune into someone else's life?
"......"
No, it wasn't quite worry. This felt more like... kinship.
"Sophia and I are more alike than she looks."
"Alike? You two are both cute, sure."
"Not like that..."
Ravi already knew I was from another world, so no harm in bringing it up.
No need to hide it—I casually spilled my own backstory.
"...Before coming to this world. I went through elementary, middle, and high school too, so yeah, similar stuff."
Even without formal parent-teacher conferences, there were plenty of events where parents showed up: elementary sports days, school plays, middle and high school festivals, graduations, and so on.
But both my parents had always worked full-time since I was little, so they never had the spare time.
They said they'd make it to graduation even if it meant taking time off work, but I turned them down. Didn't want to burden them during their busiest season.
Still, watching friends head home with bouquets and their parents, I couldn't help feeling a twinge of doubt.
Was I really okay with that? Had I just played tough and missed something important?
"Looking back, yeah, I was lonely. Kid stuff now, but whatever."
Just like Sophia now, I'd desperately hidden my feelings and put on a front. That's why I could understand hers, even a little.
Ravi listened quietly to my rambling history, then continued with a distant look.
"...Someone who'll treat Sophia with genuine care, an adult she can fully rely on. That can only be you, Jade."
"You're overestimating me big time."
Still, if I could help, I wanted to—as a senior in life who'd been through the same.
"Leave it to me. Though it'll probably end up being a hassle for Sophia—hey, no hugging!"
"Hehe. Don't wanna!"
The second I agreed, she lunged at me, rubbing her face against mine.
Still as unpredictable as ever, from her thinking to her antics.
"Today's sales are tanking. Wrapping up with one cappuccino."
"...I figured you'd say that, Jade."
The day of the Jewelry Academia parent-teacher conference.
Sophia stared blankly at her classmates chatting with their parents while waiting for her turn.
Especially eye-catching was Brilliant Asté Diamond, accompanied by the Brilliant chairman himself—
"Dad! This is my friend Amber! Say hi!"
"I-I'm Amber, Dia-chan's friend! Nice to meet you!"
"Haha, my daughter must be a bother as always."
She was introducing friends one by one to her father, dropping absurd bombs on them.
Anyone would stammer facing the man who'd built the Brilliant empire.
Finally escaping the spotlight, Amber returned to their side with a huge sigh of relief, tension draining away.
"Man, everyone's so lucky. Some even have both parents here."
"Totally jealous~"
"...Yeah."
Sophia gave an awkward smile and chimed in with Ravi and Amber.
In this class, only the three of them lacked family present.
Especially since Amber, always surrounded by people, was in the same boat—it eased Sophia's loneliness a bit with that shared feeling—
"Huh? Sis?!"
But only for a moment. Amber suddenly shouted that and bolted down the hall.
A young woman was approaching with a seasoned stride.
"What about work? Aren't you busy?"
"Left it to Chris. Your subordinate kept nagging, so I figured I'd drop by."
"Heh, Sunbae did..."
To anyone else, it looked like a heartwarming sister reunion, but to Sophia, it just meant losing a comrade.
Amber seemed to realize it too, bowing apologetically, but the sisters waved it off like it was fine.
She's so loved, Amber-san.
But it was okay. Ravi was by Sophia's side.
With this girl alone, she truly felt she didn't need family.
Time passed, and noon approached.
"Next, Sophia."
Her homeroom teacher finally called her name, but for some reason, her butt wouldn't leave the seat. Was her body refusing to head to the classroom?
"Sophia. Come on in."
But at the teacher's languid, matter-of-fact urging, she had no choice but to move.
Drag—
She entered the classroom and sat facing the teacher, but the chair reserved for the guardian sat empty.
"Um, my guardian..."
She already had her excuse ready: Parents were too busy with work to come.
Just the two of them trading empty words, lonely as ever. Nothing more, nothing less.
But her forlorn explanation was drowned out by a commotion from the hall—
"That guy's definitely from Eclipse..."
"But doesn't he look different from when he's at the cafe? Cooler than usual, maybe."
The hallway buzzed, and a familiar name caught her ear.
Cafe Eclipse. Why was that coming up now? It had nothing to do with this conference-packed corridor.
"Jade! What's the occasion here?"
Before Sophia's question could resolve, Diamond's remark delivered the knockout.
"Eh, just asked to stand in as proxy."
Thud—thud—
Footsteps grew closer, the door swung open, and there stood a man in a sharp suit, bowing to the teacher.
"...I'm Jade, standing in as Sophia-san's guardian. Nice to meet you."