24
Chapter 24
"It hasn't been... that long."
"What! You showed up two days in a row this time!"
They seemed surprised that I appeared today, right after yesterday.
"Yeah, I'll be imposing on you for the rest of the week."
As we exchanged greetings, Nive looked as if a great idea had just occurred to her.
"Oh, Eve mentioned she wants to learn magic from me. Do you want to learn too?"
"Sorry, I have absolutely no talent for that."
"True, the student's aptitude is just as important as the teacher's skill."
"But... who is this child?"
Eve had spotted a pale child who had been hiding somewhere.
"Huh?"
"Daddy!"
I reached out and scooped up Luna as she ran toward me.
"This is my daughter."
"What?"
"What?!"
"You were married?"
"You look surprisingly young."
I wondered how to explain the situation, but since she can't tell dreams from reality, she just accepted it.
This makes things a lot easier.
I spoke to Luna first to figure out what was going on.
"Luna, are you able to stay here because of the contract?"
Luna nodded.
The original story mentioned how the contract worked, but experiencing it in person was different.
"How long have you been asleep?"
"Just now. After Daddy fell asleep, I woke up, made some food for when he wakes up, and then lay down to sleep again."
"I see, so you just fell asleep."
"Luna wants to learn magic too."
Luna said this while pointing toward where Doublev was.
"You'd be better off asking Estella to teach you."
Luna tilted her head at my words.
"Now, Eve, think of it as a boom and then swoosh-swoosh!"
"A boom and then swoosh-swoosh? What is that?"
"The fact that you're asking that proves you aren't swooshing enough."
"Huh? Is... is that how it works?"
What kind of parent would ever hire someone like that as a teacher?
Luna seemed to agree that this was a bad idea and looked away.
"Think of it as a rat-a-tat and then boom-boom!"
"What does that even mean...!"
And yet, seeing her actually use magic like that...
I'm so damn jealous.
I can't do magic for the life of me.
After listening to that nonsensical magic theory for a few minutes, Eve managed to manifest a spell.
"Exactly! Magic is all about the image! Just imagine the spell you want to cast!"
"Okay!"
I wanted to point out that only you guys can do that, but since I can't use magic at all, I'd have no credibility, so I just squished Luna's cheeks.
Besides, it would be stupid to apply conventional methods to people who can cast spells with a mere thought thanks to the Stigma, without needing complex calculations.
"Hey, Eve. Make me a bow."
Even though it was a dream, the laws of physics applied quite strictly in their dreams. I can't leave the house anyway, so I might as well practice here.
"Huh? H-here it is."
As Eve spoke, a bow and several arrows materialized in front of me.
I picked up the bow and tried drawing the string.
"It feels a bit different."
Since it wasn't the bow I usually used, the feel was naturally quite different.
Well, I should be grateful for this much.
"But Luna, could you stop poking me?"
I looked down at Luna, who continued to poke my thigh with her finger.
"Break time."
"Your body is already asleep, though."
"Mental rest."
I approached Luna, who had a dissatisfied look on her face.
I first got lifted by Luna.
"Hmm? Luna?"
"What."
"I feel like my feet aren't touching the ground."
"Yep."
"My daughter is incredibly strong."
She lifted her dad up with both hands.
The weight of the Head of Household was light.
I was carried horizontally by Luna toward where Eve and Nive were.
"Wow, Eve, what on earth is this sight?"
Nive couldn't hide her amazement seeing Luna carry me like that.
"Yeah, I know."
Eve also looked bewildered, but Luna didn't seem to care.
"Play with me."
Luna spoke boldly to Nive and set me down.
"Eve, I didn't notice because I only saw her for a second."
"Yeah, Nive, I think I know what you're thinking."
Eve and Nive slowly approached us. Seeing this, Luna tilted her head as if she didn't understand what they were talking about.
"So cute!"
Eve and Nive immediately lifted Luna up and hugged her. Luna froze at the sudden attack.
"She's so squishy!"
"So adorable!"
"A-Daddy...!"
Quickly recovering, Luna called out to me for help.
"Sigh, Eve, Nive. Stop it, she doesn't like it."
Even though she never listens to a word I say.
My clumsy daughter, I still love you.
"I-is that so?"
Eve paused at my words and let go of Luna.
"Excuse me, Father. Let's make a deal."
Nive looked at me with a solemn expression.
"Are you trying to buy me with money?!"
I might be nearly bankrupt, but I'm not some trash who sells his child.
"Wouldn't you love to see such a cute daughter in a cute outfit?"
Various types of clothes appeared beside her.
"What do you mean by..."
"Are you really going to keep such a cute child in such plain clothes? Once time passes and she grows up..."
Gulp.
"You'll be forced to give up the cuteness that can only be experienced right now, in this very moment!"
She spoke while slamming a suddenly appearing desk in her excitement.
"Please entrust this noble task to me!"
Her eyes burned with passion, as if she had no doubt that this was a divine and noble act for the sake of the world.
"Be honest, you want to see it!"
She pulled some things from the conjured clothes.
A dress with frills.
A one-piece.
A child's school uniform.
There were all sorts of outfits.
"These clothes are cute, and Luna is cute! Imagine what happens when the two combine! We can take one step closer to the truth! This is a revolution! We shall move toward the sublime!"
She stepped closer and reached out her hand to me.
"Let us move forward together. Toward the ultimate beauty!"
I took her hand and replied.
"Okay, I'm in."
"Then please wait here, Father. Here I come! Nuoooooooong!"
In an instant, a table with tea and two chairs appeared beside me, and a dressing room appeared beside her.
I watched Luna, who was expressing her joy with her whole body as she was dragged away by Nive.
It's heartwarming to see her this happy.
As I sipped my tea, Eve naturally approached and sat in the other chair.
"Nive is really excited."
"Yes, she absolutely loves cute things."
"You seem to like them too; are you sure you're okay not going in?"
"I'll just watch. If I join in, Luna might get scared and run away."
Eve said this while conjuring another teacup for herself.
Before long, Nive emerged from the dressing room!
"Now! Thank you for waiting! The first outfit of the 1st Annual Luna Fashion Show! A simple set of casual clothes! Since it's the first, I chose something standard yet adorable to showcase Luna's charm!"
She continued the fashion show, leading Luna in and out of the dressing room repeatedly.
"Now, a one-piece! Pure and elegant!"
"Next, a school uniform! Ah! Now it's getting sultry!"
"A princess-like dress!"
"Moe sleeves!"
"A uniform for that perfect gap moe!!"
"A ridiculously cute animal pajama!!!"
"A maid outfit!!!!!"
"And finally, the bunny girl outfit!!!!!!! Aaaaagh! Father, don't shoot your bow! Ack! I'm sorry!"
The fashion show had to be cut short because the organizer crossed the line, but everyone seemed to have enjoyed it.
"Traitor."
Everyone, that is, except Luna, who was currently lying face-down across my lap.
"I'm sorry."
"Traitor."
I gently stroked Luna's head. She didn't seem to mind, as she slumped further, soaking in the affection.
"Eve, let go! I still have the path of a degenerate to walk!"
"Nive. Stop it already."
"Then how about Eve wears— Aaaaagh! I was wrong! I'll never do it again! Please don't shock me with magic!"
"Can we just take it down a notch?"
What a bunch of crazies—well, mostly just one crazy person.
How can one person have this much energy?
I stroked Luna while watching the chaos, which felt like a WWE match.
I loved the soft, squishy feeling.
"Uuugh..."
"I am sorry."
Nive approached and bowed her head.
"It's fine. You've applied what you just learned quite well."
"Ah, please... just pretend you didn't see that."
Realizing I had witnessed the whole spectacle, she avoided my gaze as she replied.
"Play with me."
This time, Luna tried to get Eve to play with her.
"Huh? Me?"
"Y-your name is Luna, right? Luna, what do you want to play?"
"Not me."
Luna said this while pointing at me.
"Play with my daddy."
Taken aback by the unexpected target, Eve took a moment to process the situation.
"With your dad?"
"Yep."
"What do you mean 'play'? I'm not a child."
I slipped my hands under Luna's arms and lifted her up.
"I'm perfectly fine playing by myself, so Luna, you should worry about what you're going to do."
Luna struggled, telling me not to tease her, but her flailing was meaningless since she was floating and incredibly light.
"I'll entertain myself, so you go back to learning magic from Nive."
Eve watched Luna for a moment, then, following my lead, walked toward the collapsed Nive.
"Daddy."
"What is it?"
"Are you scared?"
I was momentarily speechless at the random question that came out of Luna's mouth.
"Are you afraid?"
"What did I do?"
"Daddy is anxious. I can tell. Because we're contracted. I can feel you worrying constantly."
I couldn't find the words to answer.
The reason was simple: she was right.
Every plan I make falls apart. In my original design, Estella's Star Radiance should have been a Crown. Instead of mere teleportation and slowing enemies, she needed a power capable of crushing everything in her path—a strength that wouldn't be outclassed even by a Great Hero.
But she never attained the Crown. I don't know if it's because I was too greedy and tried to get her to reach it earlier than in the original story, or if there were hidden conditions I missed. I still wonder if my greed ruined it. Still, it was fine, since we didn't need that level of power just yet.
Then, the second discrepancy occurred.
This plan was simple: stop a dangerous enemy from being born while powering myself up. The Majins involved weren't part of any major organization or linked to key figures. While Hursulf would eventually connect with the Sage of the Star Sea after obtaining an artifact, that wasn't supposed to happen yet.
But things shifted. For some reason, she took an interest in an ordinary Majin. And she became aware of my existence. Based on her words, she realized I came from another world. She might have even seen my memories and learned the plot of the original story. This isn't a huge problem for now, as she isn't the type to dismantle things she's seen for the first time; she prefers to observe and analyze from a distance. It might accelerate her involvement, which usually happened mid-story, but given her personality, it's fine for now.
I am anxious.
"Yeah, I guess I am."
I said, looking at Luna.
"What are you so afraid of? What's worrying you so much? Luna doesn't know the answer to that. Tell me. I want to help."
My goal is to twist the original plot, but in the process, every plan I've made has twisted the story in directions I never wanted.
I keep thinking that if I could have done more, I could have prevented these things.
I've always walked with confidence, but it was all an act.
It was just a defense mechanism I'd developed as a child who received nothing from his parents—a habit of hiding the truth from other children.
Having never had a real friend, the ones I've made this time feel all the more special.
That's why I don't want to lose them.
The things I fear.
The things I dread.
All these anxieties are just 'for now,' but I'm terrified that these 'for nows' will gather to become a massive misfortune. I'm afraid that the tragedy waiting for me will eventually collapse everything I've built.
"I feel like every choice I've made was wrong."
My hand trembled slightly.
"No! You didn't do anything wrong! The villain you took down would have eventually become as strong as a Bishop! And I... *hic*—"
Luna reacted loudly to my words, then suddenly clamped her hand over her mouth, trembling and looking away as if she'd said something she shouldn't have.
"What?"
"T-that..."
The question escaped my lips the moment I felt suspicious. Luna spoke, flustered.
"Could you tell me how you know that?"
I spoke to Luna in the gentlest voice I could muster.
"I saw... I saw them. Actually, I lied. I didn't stay up late just because; I was peeking at your memories. I was curious why you were like this, why you were so anxious, so I looked a little."
I stepped closer and stroked the head of the shivering girl.
"I'm not mad, so just calm down."
"R-really?"
"I didn't really intend to hide it from the people close to me anyway."
"But I peeked without your permission."
Luna's reaction was still hesitant.
"Then tell me your story later. You don't have to do it right now, but when you feel like it, let me know. Then we're even, okay?"
Luna slowly nodded.
"A-anyway! Daddy might not know, but you were the one who helped me when I was struggling."
"I literally just picked you up off the street."
"That meant everything to me! And! Since I'm amazing, you can just ignore all those thoughts about things going wrong! I bet you'll eventually realize that those were the best choices you could have made!"
"Right, I'd have really regretted it if I hadn't picked up such a cute daughter who worries about her dad~"
I lifted Luna and spun her around.
"Ugh, I'm dizzy."
Right, she told me to stick to my path. It's already happened, so what's the use in dwelling on it? It seems seeing the Sage of the Star Sea added more to my anxiety than I thought.
"Hey, what should we do?"
"I-I don't know either."
"Even for me, it's a bit awkward to just barge in and break the mood."
"Nive, if it's awkward for you, do you really think it'll be okay if I go in?"
"It's actually better when someone who usually doesn't do it takes the lead."
"Isn't it the other way around?"
I could see the two of them behind me, muttering indecisively.
"Hey, just make a board game or something so we can play for a bit before we go."
"Then, how about this Halli Galli!"
Nive made a dynamic entrance. She probably struck such an exaggerated pose because she felt awkward with the atmosphere. Eve followed closely behind her.
We spent some time playing the board games they conjured. There was a minor issue where the results came out exactly as they imagined whenever there was a hint of randomness, but it was still quite fun.