Chapter 101: Arrival
The day began with a morning stroll alongside Rishu, followed by tending to the livestock and the fields until just before noon. After lunch, I worked on renovating Kanum’s House, caught a Black Spirit in the Deep Forest during the evening, and spent the night naming it. If it rains, I retreat to the Library.
About every three days, I share tea or a meal with Ash, and every two weeks, I drink with Dean and Retze.
The sacred grounds of the Forest remain untouched, but the main members of Rosa’s Gold Rank Party have headed to the Fortress City, so I’ve resumed my activities in the Forest.
Amidst this mix of leisure and busyness, Dinoss and the others arrived. I had hoped they were safe since I hadn’t received any word from the Spirits, but seeing them in person brought me relief.
“Hey!”
“Wait… you!”
As I greeted Dinoss and the others with a smile, I was suddenly silenced and dragged into the house. Three children stared at me with surprised expressions.
“Wait, no! Shiva!”
Had I made a mistake? Why was I the one being attacked?
“Yes, you. —Don’t open your mouth, okay? Now, let’s just make ourselves at home.”
Shiva shifted her gaze from me to the children as she spoke.
Hmm, did she mistakenly cover the wrong mouth? Is it because she doesn’t know what the kids might say?
“Haaaaaaaaaaah.”
Once everyone was inside and Shiva closed the Door, Dinoss let go of me and sat down with a grand sigh.
“Jean!”
“Jean! Why?”
“Jean! How did you get here!?”
As Shiva released her grip from the children’s shoulders, all three of them rushed to hug me.
“Come on, can’t you hide it a little…?”
Dinoss said with a tired expression.
“Well, I thought my arrival was already obvious. If someone asked me here, it would be an instant giveaway.”
“Ah, come on! —Is this your House?”
“Yeah, sort of?”
I answered while petting the three kids who were nuzzling against me with smiles.
It’s been a while since I felt such warmth from human contact. In fact, I hardly remember being hugged or hugging anyone. I vaguely recall clinging to my grandmother long ago, but aside from this family, that’s about it. —Except for the drunkard (Dean)!
“Sort of? Come on… You’re telling me to hide it.”
“It’s just that it gets tiresome hiding it from people I’m close to.”
“Ah…”
“Okay, okay. When did Jean come here? How many years ago should we say we met?”
Shiva asked with a cheerful smile.
“Um, around last autumn? Or was it summer?”
When I first arrived in this world, I was teleporting everywhere, so my sense of the seasons is a bit… muddled.
It was just entering early winter on the Island, but I remember the seasons shifting once I was teleported to the House.
“Then we should say we met over a year ago. Tina, En, Baku, if anyone asks when you met Jean, just say it was a long time ago or a little while ago, okay? Don’t say exactly when.”
“Okay!”
“Yes!”
“Sure!”
After Shiva instructed the children, their energetic replies filled the room. …I appreciate the effort.
“Alright. What’s for dinner?”
“I already ate.”
“That’s too bad. If I had known Jean was here, I wouldn’t have eaten.”
Dinoss replied shortly, while Shiva placed her hand on her cheek, looking disappointed.
Well, you wouldn’t visit someone on an empty stomach.
“I’ll eat!”
“Baku, are you coming in?”
En was surprised by Baku’s declaration.
“I’ll eat if it’s Jean’s!”
“I want a bite too!”
“Wait, then I want one as well.”
Dinoss, is it really okay to indulge the kids like that?
“Then I’ll make bite-sized portions. What about your things?”
“They’re at the Inn with Uma.”
Glad to hear Uma is still around—wait, what if it’s a different Uma?
“Are you planning to live at the Inn for a while?”
“No, I’m planning to rent a house for about a year. I have kids, after all.”
I engaged in conversation with Dinoss while leaving the excited children to Shiva.
“How about we take a look next door?”
“Next door?”
“Yeah, it’s a conditional rental. It might be a good place to stay until you find the house you want, and it’s more comfortable than the Inn. While I prepare dinner, why don’t you take a quick peek?”
I said, leading him out through the back door of the kitchen to the street.
“Next door!”
“Next door~”
“If it’s next door, we can stay together forever even if we get married!”
Dinoss followed me, with the children trailing behind him, and his wife smiling as she followed the three.
“Here, take this key.”
It was a large, retro key. Unlike the thin keys from Japan, this one was bulky and three-dimensional, but somehow it felt a bit romantic, and I didn’t dislike it.
“You have the key?”
“It’s my own place.”
“You’re the landlord now!”
Hahaha!
“This place is close to the Demon Forest, and I heard the barrier was breached once. I don’t see any families with kids around here, so keep that in mind.”
“Got it.”
I returned to the kitchen to prepare a light meal. If I weren’t here, the family would probably be chatting about the good and bad things in their lives.
Now, what should I make?