Shinka No Mi – Chapter 147

At the 『Tree of Peace』 After a While.

A deep emotion washed over me when we reached the 『Tree of Peace』 as I promised to Al.

「How do I put it……Coming here really makes me feel like, yeah, we’re back.」(Seiichi)

「You’re right……Everyone also came to see us off when we left, too!」(Saria)

Agreeing with my words, Saria also smiled happily.

While I was getting a little sentimental, someone suddenly tugged on my sleeve.

「……Seiichi-oniichan, we’re not coming in?」(Olga)

「Eh? A, aah, sorry, sorry. Let’s go.」(Seiichi)

Olga-chan smiled, a little embarrassed, when I held her hand after she tugged on my sleeve.

「Ah! Then I’ll hold your hands too, Olga-chan!」(Saria)

「……Yay」(Olga)

Copying after me, Saria also linked her hand with Olga’s other than.

Rurune, who saw us from behind, let out a sigh.

「……How envious.」(Rurune)

「? You’re not a kid, aren’t you?」(Lutia)

「Th-, that’s now what I mean! I, too, want to, with Milord……」(Rurune)

While Rurune overreacted to Lutia’s words behind our back, Olga-chan turned to look at Rurune for a moment.

「……Heh」(Olga)

「WHY YOUUUUUUU!?!?」(Rurune)

O-, Olga-chan? Did you actually sneer at her?

As we stepped into the inn whilst still lightly pulling this Dark Olga-chan, a lively voice came from within.

「Ah! Welcome! ……Wait, Seiichi-san!」(Marie)

「Marie-chan!」(Saria)

「Long time no see.」(Seiichi)

Right in front of our eyes was Marie who was busy working at Lyle’s diner in the inn.

Marie was wide-eyed when she saw us, then snapped back to her senses

「Ah!? Mom, Moom! Seiichi-san…. Seiichi-san and everyone comes home!!」(Marie)

「Eeh——!?」(Fina)

Soon after, Fina, the owner of the 『Tree of Peace』 inn, and her husband Lyle, came over to us looking a little confused.

「Seiichi-kun, Saria-chan! Olga-chan and Rurune-chan, too……Long time no see!」(Fina)

「I’m happy to see that all of you are in good health.」(Lyle)

「Hahaha……Well, a lot of things happened, but we are at the very least doing okay.」(Seiichi)

Well, I did technically die once, since I’ve gone to the Netherworld.

「And so, what happened? If I recall correctly, you received a commission to become a lecturer in some school, right?」(Fina)

「Aah……Well, about that, because of how things are and more, I kind of got fired, so……」(Seiichi)

「Eh!?」(Fina)

「Ah……I-, I see……」(Lyle)

「Fired!? Wait, Seiichi-san, are you doing alright? You can’t be leaving Saria-san and the rest with no bread on their plates, you know?」(Marie)

「No, we’re not driven to poverty that quickly, okay?」(Seiichi)

Marie’s exaggerated show of surprise was probably to lighten up the gloomy atmosphere a bit. As expected of the poster girl, she didn’t miss the slightest change in the atmosphere.

Also, I have plenty of money. Well, I don’t know just exactly how much I have because my Status is currently running away from home. In fact, I stopped counting money before it ran away. I completely lack any sense of money at all now. ……Hearing that alone makes me a failure of a human, huh?

「Nn! I asked something sensitive, my bad. And then, did you come here to lodge in?」(Fina)

「Yes. Ah, there are about three more people with us……」(Seiichi)

「Which makes it……eight people in total. Seiichi-kun, you group became quite a large family in no time at all, huh.」(Fina)

No, really.

Marie then elbowed me with a grin plastered on her face.

「Geez~ Seiichi-san you lecher~ What a smooth criminal you are~! You can’t be doing that here, okay? It’s obscene.」(Marie)

「What are you even saying!?」(Seiichi)

How dare you say that when Olga-chan is here!

As Marie grinned like some old-man, Saria looked to be puzzled.

「Obscene?」(Saria)

「Oh you, playing stupid like that! You know, things like this and that, the birds, the bees, you know!?」(Marie)

「Aren’t your sexual harassment going too far!?」(Seiichi)

Hey, Fina-san, Lyle-san, can you please stop your daughter!? She’s bad for Olga-chan’s upbringing!

Also, I didn’t do anything like Marie imagined. No, maybe it’s just me who’s being a wuss, but it’s not like we have had any opportunity or the mood for things like that. And, more importantly, I’m happy with just being with Saria and everyone else right now. Or rather, I just don’t have time, or the thoughts of doing that just don’t cross my mind……Eh? Am I the weird one? Is it possible that couples on Earth have already advanced towards the further steps ahead?

As I shuddered at the fact that I might be an overwhelmingly late-bloomer, Marie’s eyes widened open, perhaps had already guessed from my expression.

「W-, wait a minute……You’re kidding, right!? You went to the same academy, and you even rented the same room in the town, and yet nothing happened at all between any of you!?」(Marie)

「I-, is that bad?」(Seiichi)

Oh no, I haven’t the slightest idea about this stuff. I mean, I have never been in a relationship. I haven’t even consulted anyone about any relationship. I have no idea about this at all.

「E-, endangered animals……To think there’s a relationship as pure as a pair of endangered animals right here……! What has gone wrong with all the couples in this world!?」(Marie)

「What kind of info is that even.」(Seiichi)

What kind of polarized thinking is that? Just how chaotic of a world are you referring to?

As I was unintentionally taken aback by Marie’s too-far-out-the-left-field remarks, Fina lightly poked Marie’s head.

「Ouchie」(marie)

「Marie……It’s okay to be knowledgeable about sex, but you should know more about what the normal is and how couples in general go with their relationship……」(Fina)

「Eeh?」(Marie)

「……Maybe I’ll sound like a failure of a father, but seeing Marie like this makes me want to find her a boyfriend as soon as possible. I just hope it will teach her about being in a normal relationship……」(Lyle)

Even Lyle-san gave a tired smile and spoke so.

Still, Marie was a cute girl as she was the poster girl. She could get a boyfriend if she wanted.

「……Well, it’s fine. So, about the rooms. We can’t accommodate all eight of you in a single room. However, we do have two three-person rooms and one two-person room available…… How about it?」(Fina)

「Can we have those three rooms then?」(Seiichi)

「Understood. How long do you think you will be staying?」(Fina)

「Err……I didn’t really think about that, but I’ll pay for a month’s rent for now.」(Seiichi)

I readily handed a month’s worth of rent for eight people over to Fina-san, which she then gave me a smile in return.

「I have certainly received the payment. If that is the case, if you are going to continue your activity around here, I think it’s best if you save up some money to either rent or buy a house, you know」(Fina)

「Eh?」(Seiichi)

「That’s right. It might be unbecoming for an innkeeper like us, but if you are going to stay around for a long time, it’s cheaper to get a house than to keep lodging in an inn.」(Lyle)

「I see……」(Seiichi)

I had never thought about renting or buying a house for ourselves before.

But with the uncertainty of the situation we had at hand, and considering that we would make Terveil our base of operation, it was certainly better to buy a house.

After thanking Fina-san and her family, we went to our respective rooms to take a break before Al and the other two came.

I would be spending the night with Saria and Al, and I couldn’t get Marie’s words from my head, so now I was strangely conscious of Saria. This isn’t good, we have to stay with our usual selves, or else….. 

Then, Saria who had been quiet up until a moment ago, suddenly called out to me.

「Seiichi」

「Nn?」

I turned my gaze towards Saria, and then———  

「We copulate?」

I saw Goria looking back at me——— 

WIth my mind instantly cleared up, I told Saria.

「I’ll pass on that.」

「Shame.」

Why did she bother to take her gorilla form? Also, I have a lot of things I wanted to say to Saria, like whether or not she grows conscious of me because of Marie’s words, but much thanks to Goria, that strange feeling is now completely gone. Yeah, it’s a forced sage-mode. I am enlightened now.

——But still, like how I imagined it before, I’m still wondering how a child between me and Saria will become, if we can make one.

『Uho』

——Yeah, my gene will lose against hers. No, that was just my imagination, okay/

I, along with Saria, stayed in our room until Al and the other two came.