Family (3)
"Ain! Where have you been, showing up this la—AAAAAAHHHH!!!!"
The instant Jina spotted Ain's golden hair, the rest of the sentence died in her throat. Her eyes dropped to the clasped hands between Er and Ain, and she let out a piercing scream as she charged straight at them.
"Wh-what do you think you're doing?! Let go of him right now!!"
"Jina, jealousy really doesn't suit you. It's rather unsightly."
"Y-y-you damn thief!"
They weren't some pair of rival trainers who'd launch into battle the instant their eyes met, and yet Er and Jina were at each other's throats practically every other day. Ain watched them go at it, then let go of the hand he'd been holding.
"That's enough. You went through all that trouble getting dressed up—it'd be a complete waste if you wrecked it."
"...You noticed?"
"Yeah. A pearl necklace on a pig."
"Hehe. So you're saying I'm as pretty as a pearl necklace."
"...I really should've kept my mouth shut."
When it came to Ain, Jina's talent for twisting anything into a compliment was nothing short of extraordinary. Even his completely unfiltered jab couldn't put a dent in her. She cupped her cheeks, looking bashful for a moment, then puffed up with total confidence.
"See? I told you Ain likes me!"
"It seems something's gone wrong with Jina's head."
"She saw us holding hands and the shock was too much for her."
"What are you two talking about? I'm perfectly fine."
She flashed them her usual bright smile as she said it.
"Right now I feel like I could bury Er six feet under and kidnap Ain!"
"Enough with the creepy talk... They should be getting here soon."
Ain tipped his head back and scanned the sky. The sun had long since left the morning behind and was crossing the center of the heavens. The letter had said they would arrive around midday, which meant they ought to be showing themselves any moment now.
"Ah, a carriage is coming in."
It was a hired coach that ran the route connecting other cities through Karpe. Ain watched the carriage bearing a merchant company's passenger-service emblem roll through the city gates, and he swallowed hard without meaning to.
He looked like a man wound far too tight. Er found it strange enough to ask, her voice careful.
"Ain, why are you so nervous?"
"...I'm not."
"You're not? You're dripping cold sweat..."
"Heheh. You wouldn't get it, Er. Just watch. Watch what happens to Ain."
"Hey! Don't talk nonsense!"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Ain bristled and tried to clamp a hand over Jina's mouth. Er just tilted her head at him, still puzzled. Undeterred, Jina looked down at her with a knowing little smile, her voice thick with amusement.
"Heheh. The years Ain and I have between us aren't something the likes of you could ever catch up to. If you don't know, just sit tight and watch how... adorable Ain gets."
"He gets... adorable?"
"AAAH! Stop talking nonsense!"
Ain's frantic outburst might as well have been a breeze for all the good it did. Er simply stared at his face, her gaze unblinking.
"...Adorable, she says."
"It's nonsense! Please wipe that from your memory!!"
Jina's comment had clearly piqued Er's interest, and Ain did not appreciate the attention one bit. His ears had gone scarlet. He was still shouting when Jina spotted the hired carriage pulling up at its designated stop, passengers beginning to climb down.
"People are getting off!"
"I wonder what they'll be like?"
"Ugh, damn it... I really shouldn't have said anything..."
Even as he grumbled, Ain's eyes swept over every passenger stepping down from the coach, a tangle of every emotion imaginable flickering through them.
He acted like it was nothing, but he's been waiting for them all along.
The thought drew a private smile from Er as she watched his face. That was when Jina spoke up, her eyes gone round with surprise, her voice suddenly uncertain.
"Huh? Something's off..."
"What's wrong?"
"That's everyone. All the passengers have gotten off!"
"This should be the only carriage arriving at midday..."
"Don't tell me..."
The same grim possibility crossed all three of their minds at once. Not long ago, they had learned that black mages were targeting Ain. If those mages had discovered his identity—if they had reached out and laid their hands on his parents—
The thought drained the blood from Ain's face so thoroughly it felt as though every drop had been pulled from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet. His complexion went visibly ashen. Er's brow furrowed, her expression turning grave before she even realized it.
"I'll go check with the transport company first. See if there's another carriage, or if something's been delayed. Ain, I need you to check with the Adventurer Guild and the temple—make sure the black mages haven't done anything."
"I'll take the temple."
"Ain, you need to stay focused. It's probably nothing serious. But just in case..."
"...I know."
Ain gave a small nod at her words.
"It'll be fine. But just to be sure, I'll head to the Guild. There might be something suspicious going on."
"Oh my, Ain. Where are you off to?"
"The Adventurer Guild... wait?"
The question had drifted in so naturally that Ain answered before he could think. Then something felt wrong, and he cocked his head.
Who in this situation would ask a question that casual, that unbothered?
Er and Jina had come along to score points with him, and both of them were standing right in front of him with grim faces. There was no one else from their party here.
But the voice from behind him was so familiar that he'd answered without a second thought. Ain whipped his head around.
What met his eyes was a man and a woman. They wore the kind of ordinary clothes you could find on anyone, anywhere, and they beamed at Ain as he turned to look at them.
"It's been so long, and you're already heading somewhere? What a shame."
"Ain's an adult now, so I suppose he's reached the age where his parents are an embarrassment... sniff I always knew this day would come, but it still hurts."
They made a show of dabbing at imaginary tears. Ain stared at them, his voice caught somewhere between disbelief and bewilderment.
"...Mother? Father?"
They were the family he had been waiting for this entire time.
A married couple who, despite having a son old enough to be an adult, looked nowhere near that age. Black hair and brown hair, nothing particularly remarkable about either of them. Ain regarded their faces with a faintly dazed expression, and they spoke up.
"Oh, so you haven't forgotten our faces after all?"
"Of course not. Ain's such a good boy."
The woman stepped closer and patted his head.
"Son, have you been well?"
"W-wait a second. You said you'd arrive around lunch. So why did you appear from behind me?"
Ain had conjured up every grim scenario imaginable just because they hadn't been on that carriage. Naturally, he wanted to know how they had ended up standing behind him.
"Well, we arrived yesterday afternoon?"
"...What?"
"We even met Lady Veronica, briefly. She said she was heading back to Arcadia."
"Even Ma... Master?"
His mother seemed to pick up on the fact that Ain had completely lost the plot.
"We figured we ought to see the city too, didn't we? There were so many interesting things. We had a lovely time with all the sights."
"No, what do you mean..."
"Better to get the sightseeing out of the way first, so we wouldn't be a bother to you. We decided it between ourselves, so don't overthink it."
Ain pulled a complicated face at his father's explanation, then let out a long, heavy sigh.
"If that was the plan, you could've told me in advance... You scared me."
"Hmm? You got scared over something like this?"
"Ain, we didn't raise you to be that fragile."
"..."
They could say things like that because they had no idea what he was actually dealing with. But Ain had no desire to frighten them or put them on edge by telling them the truth. He let out a small breath.
"...Nothing happened on the way here, right? Then that's all that matters."
"Aww, our son's all grown up. Even worrying about Mom and Dad."
"That's my boy."
"P-please stop..."
They looked like nothing more than parents who adored their son to an almost painful degree. Ain squirmed, unable to shake off their doting hands. Someone else, however, stepped forward without a shred of hesitation.
"Mother! Father! It's been so long!!"
"Oh my, is that Jina?"
"It's been a while. You've gotten even prettier."
It was Jina, who had put considerable effort into her appearance for this very day. She had met Ain's family more than once, and she had already finished her research into exactly what kind of person they liked.
A reasonably cheerful girl with a knack for getting along with people. Knowing that was precisely the type Ain's parents favored, Jina spoke in a voice even brighter than usual.
"Didn't you two miss me? I missed you so much."
"Haha, such flattery."
"I mean it! You know how much I adore you, Mother."
She added a little crinkle-eyed smile for good measure. It was the very picture of calculated charm, fake down to the last eyelash. Ain's face curdled in real time. His parents, meanwhile, were eating it up.
"Ain, I trust you've been getting along well with Jina?"
"...Father, what's this about all of a sudden."
"She's a girl who likes you that much, isn't she? Don't be too cold to her. Being loved by someone is a blessing, you know."
Ain shut his mouth at the earnest weight in his father's voice. Whatever his father read in that silence, he gave his son's back a few idle pats and went on.
"But Ain, that young lady..."
"Is that young lady with your party as well?"
At the end of both their gazes stood a lovely young woman with golden hair. She had shed her usual bulky armor for a fresh, age-appropriate outfit, and her emerald-green eyes were striking.
"Hello. You must be Ain's mother and father?"
"Ah... Father?"
"Ain, did that young lady just call us Father and Mother?"
A woman beautiful enough to steal a person's gaze if they passed her on the street had just addressed them with startling familiarity. They were about to start grilling Ain when Er spoke again.
"I know this is sudden, meeting for the first time, but there's something I'd like to tell you."
"To us?"
"Ain, who is that young lady?"
"Ah, well..."
His father jabbed him in the side as he asked. Ain opened his mouth to answer—
The storm created by the bomb Er had just detonated crashed over all of them at once.
"E-E-Er?! What did you just say?!"
Ain was the first to shout. Anyone who overheard that would get entirely the wrong idea, and he looked like he might pass out on the spot.
"I haven't told a single lie, you know. It's also the truth."
"What on earth are you talking about?!"
"Well... you know, don't you?"
"Know WHAT?!"
Ain was yelling himself hoarse. Er, by contrast, wore a smile that was quietly, dangerously meaningful. The look on her face sent a spike of genuine terror through him, and he opened his mouth to say something—anything—
"Ain, it seems this conversation is going to take a while."
"...Father?"
"Shall we find somewhere to sit down and talk over a cup of tea?"
His father offered up a smile of utterly unflappable good cheer.