Thank you Javetts for pointing out the misspelling with ULTRA VANILLA LOVE last chapter. Highly appreciated.
I hope you all are ready for more Cal Mira Shenanigans. I know I am!
Chapter Twenty-Three: More Cal Mira Shenanigans!
"Huahhhh…" Naofumi let out a loud yawn as he stretched his arms out above his head. He felt odd… More so than usual anyway.
It felt like he'd slept for a very long time…
He couldn't remember what he'd been dreaming about either. But it most likely involved tail floofs and cuddling with the biggest, softest creature to ever exist.
"Mmmm…" Raphtalia mumbled in her sleep as she tried to stay cuddled up next to her best friend's side.
She was probably the reason why Naofumi had that dream.
If only she'd transform into the biggest most cuddly creature in existence again…
"Mmmm… stop thinking rude things, Naofumi," Raphtalia murmured.
The kid Shield Hero looked down at his best friend in shock, but she only murmured more in her sleep as she tried to cuddle closer to him.
…
Hmph! How was she reading his mind even in her sleep?! That didn't make any sense!
The kid moaned tiredly as he knew what was going to come next. A servant would come to wake them up. They'd need to clean up and get ready for breakfast. Then they'd practice the table manners Momellia had taught them. They'd brush their teeth and get ready for magic lessons with Dadcray before going back to Momellia again and-
…
…
…-!
Wait a second! They weren't at the castle anymore!
They were on vacation!
Naofumi wiped the sleep from his young eyes excitedly before shaking the half-tanuki girl next to him.
"Raphtalia, wake up! It's the start of a new day!" The shield kid shouted excitedly. He didn't even care anymore that she'd read his mind earlier!
There were far more important things for the two of them to do right now!
"Mmmm, five more minutes…" Raphtalia stayed burrowed against his side, her ears tickling Naofumi's arm.
"Come on! It's time to get up!"
"Nooooo…" She didn't want to end her nice dream involving cuddling with the cutest, nicest, and craziest boy in all the world.
No wonder this morning felt so weird. Normally Raphtalia would be the one forcing Naofumi to wake up first. It was only on days when Momellia had nothing planned for them that he was the one waking her up.
"Ughhhh…" Melty groaned as she sat up in her own bed nearby. She rubbed her eyes before looking at her siblings with a grumpy pout. "Do you have to be so loud in the morning?"
"Come on, Raphtalia. We don't have any royal lessons for a whole week! We need to have as much fun as possible!" Naofumi continued excitedly, ignoring his older sister in favor of his best friend.
"I'd rather have fun in dreamland." Raphtalia moaned softly again in despair.
Naofumi ignored her pleas as he dragged her out of bed and onto her feet.
Melty sighed in defeat at Naofumi ignoring her. It appeared that she wasn't going to get any more sleep either.
And she'd been having such a nice dream about playing with Moto and Amber's future kids too.
Elhart yawned as he came out of his room. "Geez, brat. You're up early, for once."
"Ehehehe! I have to get up early if we want to leave before Shadow resumes watching us!" Naofumi said evilly.
"I daresay, that is never going to happen." Shadow spoke out from under Naofumi's bed.
…
Looking closely, you could see her mask peeking out from under the bed. The sight of it finally snapped Raphtalia to full wakefulness. If only to hide behind her best friend out of fright.
It'd been a while since she'd done that. Then again, Shadow looked very terrifying right now.
"Boo! Do you ever sleep!?" Naofumi asked angrily.
…
Shadow merely stared at the Shield Hero as she pulled herself up from the shadows under the bed with a single, disturbingly fluid motion before assuming her full height. Her gaze hadn't left Naofumi once during the whole process.
Both kids couldn't help but shudder.
Seriously, how did she always manage to be so creepy? It was disturbing on so many levels that it should have been considered illegal.
"Wait… didn't we fall asleep on the island? What are we doing in our rooms?" Melty suddenly realized.
"Yeah, you three fell asleep alright." Elhart grinned widely. "Me and Shadow had to carry the three of you back to the inn. You're welcome, by the way."
"Thanks, Uncle Bald Guy!" "Thanks, Shadow!" Melty, Raphtalia, and Naofumi said simultaneously to the pair.
"Hmmm, let us not repeat that again." Shadow addressed Elhart. "We were lucky enough to have those adventurers lend us a hand."
"Yeah, you're right about that. So how about we get started early!" Elhart grinned as he turned to the kids again. "Are you all ready to grind some more levels!?"
Grrrrrr…
Instead of a response, he was met with a series of loud stomach growls.
Including his own.
"Um… heheh, actually, how about some breakfast first?" He suggested instead.
"Yeah!" Naofumi cheered happily.
"I can't wait to slay more monsters!" Raphtalia cheered excitedly.
"And maybe adopt one if it's friendly... and not a dog monster!" Naofumi added excitedly.
Text appeared on his HUD.
Ha. Like that's ever going to happen.
Boo! It's too early for you to be this annoying, stupid shield!
Zap!
"Ow!" Naofumi rubbed his arm.
Raphtalia sighed. "What did you do now?"
"It wasn't me! It was the stupid shield!" Naofumi whined.
"What's he talking about now?" Melty groaned.
"Honestly, I'm not sure myself." Raphtalia shrugged.
Naofumi continued to whine and complain at the shield on his arm. Raphtalia and Melty talked about how weird Naofumi could be. Raphtalia in a positive light, and Melty… less so.
Elhart continued to grin at the ever-familiar antics going on before him. His good mood did not last though. After having examined their room thoroughly, he could only conclude that Amber hadn't been here last night whatsoever.
Looking at the party menu, he found that Amber had yet to rejoin their party too.
…
The blacksmith had to hide the scowl from his face. Mostly because he didn't want to put a damper on the kids' good mood.
"A-Alright! You know what?! I agree! Let's just get some breakfast so we can spend the rest of the day having a lot of fun!" Melty visibly brightened.
"Yeah!" Raphtalia and Naofumi instantly agreed, much to her relief.
It was time to continue with their vacation by grabbing some free breakfast at the inn.
"Yes! I can grab all the bacon I want!"
Elhart looked at the kid confusedly. "Was that not a thing in your world?"
"Uh, duh? My mom always stopped me from grabbing everything that inns would offer for breakfast." Naofumi pouted at the fading memories of the few vacations he'd been on as a kid.
All the hotels had breakfast buffets just like this inn. They were all you could eat too, but apparently, it was bad manners or something to take all the bacon or all the fruit they had out.
"Heh, you come from a strange world, kid." Elhart chuckled.
Naofumi laughed along with him as they sat at a table with the others. Melty's eyes went wide when she saw how much food there was on Naofumi's plate.
"Hey, we barely stopped for lunch while on that island and completely skipped dinner! I'm starving!" Naofumi cried out defensively at his older sister.
"But, you grabbed so much…" Melty had barely grabbed half of his portion in comparison.
However, only a moment later, Raphtalia set her plate down next to Naofumi's.
It was at least twice the size of his.
"Thanks for the food!" Raphtalia clapped her hands together in delight.
"Thanks for the food!" Naofumi grinned at her, and the two kids giggled as they dug in together.
Melty sweatdropped, slowly poking at one of her pancakes as the other two kids ravenously went through their plates.
Minutes later, Ren, Wyndia, and their friends came down from their rooms as well along with Itsuki and Rishia. The latter two looked exhausted as if they hadn't slept at all. The Sword Hero and his girlfriend, on the other hand, were practically glowing with energy while smiling widely.
"Seriously, since when was Sir Ren ever a morning person?" The party tank Bakta asked grumpily while taking a sip from his coffee cup.
"I have no idea. Every time I try asking Tersia and Farrie, they just giggle and look at me as if I'm stupid." The rogue swordsman Welt replied.
Ren and Wyndia completely ignored everyone's mumbles and settled down next to each other at a nearby table with plates full of breakfast. Before they started eating though, Ren made sure to ruffle Naofumi's hair and greet him before focusing on his girlfriend again.
Wyndia gave Ren a smile and a kiss on the lips before the two mates dug into their food together.
"Heh, since they're still hungry, I guess it proves that you can't survive on only eating-MPPH!"
Tersia quickly stuffed a piece of toast into Farrie's mouth before the latter could ruin the quaint atmosphere. After a bit of time passed, the two began debating about what shops they'd want to go to after they'd grinded for the day. Cal Mira had quite a few that could fit what they wanted to do.
If only they could convince the boys to come along with them so they could have pack mules to carry all of their new stuff…
"Bakta, we're hitting the bars as soon as we get back from grinding," Welt said as he felt the hairs on his neck standing on end.
"Why's that?" The party tank asked obliviously.
"I'm just getting a really bad feeling from those two right now." Welt shivered as he gestured over to Tersia and Farrie.
Both girls were grinning evilly, and sneaking glances at the pair.
…
Bakta noticeably gulped and turned away to focus his gaze on something else. "You know what, yeah, let's do that."
The sooner they escaped from their two female party members, the better.
Soon after that, Itsuki and Rishia finally appeared from the breakfast bar. Carrying plates modestly filled with a selection of foodstuff.
"Gr… Granny isn't here yet, right?" Itsuki asked Uncle Bald Guy with a nervous tick in his eye as he approached a table next to Naofumi and his friends.
"Nah. I haven't seen her this morning yet." Elhart shrugged.
"Oh, thank… goodness." Itsuki tiredly sat down in his chair and so did Rishia.
Both of them raised their forks to start eating.
And both of them then promptly collapsed into their eggs and hash browns at the same time while letting out two identical snores.
Elhart's eyebrow raised, but he didn't try to wake them up.
Naofumi didn't care either, as it was Itsujerk. He'd already polished through his first plate and was soon coming back with seconds alongside Raphtalia.
He didn't seek to bother anyone else in the room as he was entirely focused on food at the moment.
"Seriously, how are you two eating so much?!" Melty exclaimed after they came back again with full plates for the third time.
"Ai'm jus hugre." Naofumi shrugged.
"Don't talk with your mouth full!" Melty yelled angrily.
"Ur no owr mum!" Melty reeled back in surprise when Raphtalia spoke up, her cheeks absolutely bulging compared to her friend's.
The half-tanuki girl acted like a good princess for the most part. But she'd been a young country girl before she'd been a princess and her way of eating in a casual setting showed it.
Raphtalia seemed to be enjoying this freedom just as much as her best friend.
"Y-You're both being so gross!" Melty exclaimed.
"Aw, come on, give it a try!" Naofumi encouraged after he swallowed. "It's not that bad! Everyone else does it!"
"Yeah, even Uncle Bald Guy does it from time to time!" Raphtalia agreed after swallowing as well. "Right Uncle Bald Guy?"
"I du no!" Elhart grinned, smiling wide to reveal the sausage links lining his teeth.
Naofumi and Raphtalia both high-fived him as the group laughed. Melty's face twisted in horror.
"Y-You're all gross!" The girl screeched indignantly.
Shadow just continued to slowly munch on a rations bar in her hand, unfazed by all the food around her.
"Zzzzzzzz…" Despite the noise, neither Itsuki nor Rishia stirred from their slumber.
What a way to start the day…
…
As everyone was finishing up their breakfast, Elhart stared intently at the doorway. Sword Kid and Bow Kid had shown up with their girlfriends. However, one Hero was still noticeably absent.
'Come on, Spear Brat. Where the hell are you?'
Was he going to skip out on breakfast too? It'd be one thing if the boy was still feeling seasick. But the brat had more than enough time to recover by now. And if he and Amber were out there causing trouble again…
The thought caused him to frown deeply.
"Uncle Bald Guy, is everything ok?" Raphtalia asked in concern upon seeing the expression on his face.
"Ah, sorry, everything's fine." Elhart chuckled as he wiped the look off his face with a grin. "I'm just thinking about all the innocent(?) monsters that we'll be slaying today."
"... You should really tone down your bloodlust, Uncle Bald Guy," Naofumi said with a sweatdrop. "Or you might turn into a real raging bald barbarian before you know it."
"Ha, at least I'll be killing everything for you, brat!" Elhart laughed. "Way to know what a barbarian is anyway! I thought that word would be too long for you to understand!"
"That's another joke that's becoming as old as you!" Naofumi bristled in response.
Elhart stuck his tongue out at the Shield Hero, and the pair both laughed with each other.
"Why can't things just be normal?" Melty asked the ceiling above.
"I'll kill more innocent(?) monsters than you this time, Uncle Bald Guy!" Raphtalia said with a determined glint in her eyes.
Normal was definitely nonexistent in this world.
There wasn't even a washing machine to slap the setting on.
…
"Ah, Amber, my darling, what shall we have for breakfast?"
All at once, the blacksmith's laughter cut off.
The pair of lovers were finally coming through the entrance of the room arm in arm.
"Anything you want, blondie~" Amber giggled into her hand.
"Can I eat you then, my sweet?" Motoyasu wagged his eyebrows, causing Amber to blush and giggle even more in response.
"Tch, Moto stole my joke again." Farrie clicked her tongue in annoyance while Tersia rolled her eyes next to her in exasperation.
"Ewwww…" Raphtalia and Naofumi both put their hands over their mouths as their faces turned green. They, fortunately, didn't get the meaning behind the couple's words. However, despite missing that info, it didn't make witnessing the couple's interaction any less disgusting.
"My appetite was just ruined," Naofumi complained.
"Same." Raphtalia agreed.
"Why do they have to be so gross?" Naofumi gagged.
"Ramgh! Umgh! Grurgh!" Before Raphtalia could reply, Melty was heard loudly devouring her pancakes with a blazing fire in her eyes. The two kids turned to look at her in shock.
Yes! Finally! The one thing that could make her morning better! The sight of a beautiful Filolial acting all lovey-dovey with her Hero husband!
IT WAS A ROMANCE SO BEAUTIFUL IT COULD LIGHT A FIRE UNDER HER SOUL, I SAY!
"Princess Melty, I daresay, please slow down or else-" Shadow started to warn.
"Urk! Ack ack!" Melty reached for a glass of water and downed it quickly.
"... And she thinks that she can lecture us about having bad table manners," Naofumi said blandly.
"Yeah." Raphtalia agreed beside him in just as dry a voice. Both of them were now staring at their older sibling judgmentally.
"Hy, I hav evry rit to ac lie tis!" Melty retaliated with a mouth full of food.
"And we don't?!" Naofumi challenged.
Melty swallowed. "Yea! Unlike me, you both act weird all the time!" Melty argued.
"Do not!" Naofumi and Raphtalia yelled simultaneously.
"Do too!"
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
The kids began bickering back and forth with each other.
And because of what everyone else was doing, nobody noticed Elhart had left the table. And nobody saw or heard as the blacksmith grabbed Motoyasu and Amber by the backs of their outfits and began dragging them out of the room just as they were about to reach the breakfast bar.
"Ah! Uncle-In-Law, what the heck are you doing?!" Motoyasu whined.
"What have I told you about calling me that, brat?!" Elhart retorted angrily.
"But I'm married to Amber, and Amber is Naofumi's older sister, so that makes you my Uncle-In-Law!" Motoyasu explained.
"Moto is right." Amber agreed with a giggle.
…
By this point, Elhart had dragged the pair outside the room. A look of frustration was on his face. "I… urgh, that isn't important right now!" Elhart gripped the two by the shoulders.
"Look, I get that you two love each other and all that! But have you forgotten about Naofumi entirely?!"
…
The two cocked their heads in confusion. Elhart rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"I swear, you two being around each other so much has made you both stupid… well, even stupider than usual in his case."
"Hey!" Motoyasu complained.
Elhart poked Moto in the chest. It didn't push the stronger Hero back as it would have before, but it definitely stung the young man. "In case you haven't noticed, your gawking and adoration and, with me not understating this in the slightest, your COMPLETE AND UTTER OBSESSION with Amber has put a rift between you and your younger brother!
"In fact, just the other night, I overheard him complaining to Raphtalia about how you've basically stolen his older sister from the two of them, young man!"
"Wha!? I would never do such a thing!" Motoyasu exclaimed in shock. "I would cut my arm off before I did something so terrible to my younger bro, I s-!"
"And you, young lady!" For some reason, Amber did shrink down before Elhart as he looked far bigger and far more intimidating than before. "Did you seem to conveniently forget about how you promised to read the kids a bedtime story on the ship?!"
"I… But Moto was really sick that night, and… and…"
Elhart seemed to grow bigger, and Amber quieted in response.
"That's not the only thing I have to gripe about! We grinded ALL DAY yesterday and you didn't show up AT ALL! Even after we got back to our rooms you were nowhere to be found!
"That was a load of fun, by the way! Having Shadow and I carrying the kids all the way back by ourselves in the middle of the night! I'm just happy monsters didn't try to attack us at all since it would have been very awkward trying to hold them off while carrying those kids by ourselves!
"And this isn't even the first time you've disappeared on us in the last few weeks!"
Motoyasu and Amber were both dwarfed by Elhart, who looked down on them as if he was the size of a mountain. Amber's eyes widened in shock. "W-Why were you out so late at night-"
"SILENCE!"
…
…
It wasn't that Elhart had grown bigger.
Amber and Motoyasu had both shrunken in size. The couple was holding each other and near tears by this point. And when Elhart crossed his arms over his chest and delivered his next words in a dry, emotionless tone, it really hit home.
"If I seriously didn't know any better… I'd assume you two didn't care about the young brats anymore."
…
…
"Th-That's… not true…" Motoyasu quietly murmured.
Amber shakily nodded her head in agreement. But the filolial woman couldn't bring herself to speak. She was starting to cry.
"Then tell me this, why has Naofumi been looking up to Ren more than you these days? Why has he spent more time around me and Melty instead of you?" Elhart questioned. "I'm seriously wondering what you two have done to be deserving of your big brother and sister status lately.
"In my opinion, you two are a disgrace to those titles."
…
…
…
…
…
"Oh… Gods…" The two hung their heads. Tears were falling from Motoyasu's face.
"Wa… wahhh…" Amber buried her face into her hands and began to openly cry. She felt such an immense wave of guilt.
Elhart sighed at the sad sight. "Come on. Get over here." He spread his arms invitingly for the duo.
The pair crashed into his chest and began to bawl loudly. Elhart sighed again as he hugged the young man and young woman to himself.
He knew he'd needed to say what he'd said, as hard as it was to hear. Motoyasu had almost no experience with healthy relationships before coming to this world. And Amber… had literally been born only a couple of months ago. She might have been an adult, but she definitely didn't have the experience of one.
If these two continued with their unhealthy obsession with each other, it was only going to alienate Kidfumi and the others from them even more.
And, if the blacksmith was being perfectly honest, it could also alienate the two towards each other if something bad were to happen and they got in a big fight.
He didn't mind the two having a relationship. When they weren't annoying, they could be pretty freaking adorable together. But their relationship had to be a healthy one. One that'd actually stand against conflict and hardship.
As one could have too little love in a relationship, one could also have too much love. Especially if it reached the point of cutting out everything else important in life. Including relationships with other individuals.
This needed to be fixed, now, before the damage became irreparable.
…
Still… seeing them reduced to sobbing messes made him feel a little bad. After all, they were both young and had yet to grow into the mature kind of love that the King and Queen held for one another as well as their kids and country.
"Can you two at least tell me why you've been missing so much lately?" Elhart asked when the two had calmed down. "Because I swear if you were sneaking off just to have a roll in the hay or something, then-"
"No!" Motoyasu immediately responded, then grimaced. "Well, at least, not all the time."
Amber blushed and looked away in embarrassment.
Elhart scowled but stayed looking at the Spear Hero as he gulped. "You see, um… we were also…"
Over the next few minutes, he gradually brought himself to explain how he and Amber had helped with getting Ren and Wyndia together in Siltvelt. How they'd been subtly trying to help Rishia and Itsuki grow closer to one another through different instances. And how they'd planned on using this trip as a means to get Rishia and Itsuki together at last.
He detailed some of the things they'd already attempted with the pair before. As well as how they wanted to have the two together before they had to return to Melromarc. Though Granny had thrown a wrench into some of their plans.
When he was about done, Elhart had stopped scowling and had instead raised an eyebrow at the Spear Hero. "Alright, it isn't as bad as I was expecting. You two aren't as completely obsessed with each other as I thought.
"Still. We're here to raise all of your levels and help you get stronger. Is trying to help another hero romance develop really that necessary?"
"Of course! I… I know it's been kind of…" The Spear Hero grimaced as Elhart began to scowl again. "Okay, it has definitely been detrimental for me and Amber. We're sorry about that, very sorry… but come on man, you can't tell me that having a girlfriend hasn't been a good thing for Ren! I mean, just look at him!"
Elhart peeked into the dining hall in response. It appeared that the Sword Hero and his girlfriend had just finished eating.
Ren was talking to Naofumi and the other kids again. Describing what he and his party had accomplished yesterday while Wyndia sat on his lap sideways, practically hanging on him.
Ren was hugging the content-looking Wyndia to himself while resting his head next to hers. Naofumi, Raphtalia, and even Melty were watching the duo with awe.
They both looked very happy and didn't mind the looks they got from other patrons or party members at the open display of affection while conversing with their friends.
…
Elhart really didn't have an argument for that. The nervous anxiety-ridden boy had disappeared entirely without a trace since Ren's return from Siltvelt. And while the young man still had his struggles, he appeared to be far happier, and far more confident than he'd been when they'd first begun to really interact with one another months ago.
It was honestly refreshing to see him grow up so much.
"And you've seen what Itsuki's relationship with Naofumi is like! If there's going to be any way to get my other younger bro to stop being Itsujerk to the kid, it's going to be because of Rishia helping him to mellow out!" Motoyasu continued.
"She has been a really good influence on the Bow Hero." Amber weakly offered. "You've noticed that lately, right?"
…
Elhart sighed once again as he rubbed at his temple and closed the doors of the dining room hall. "I admit, you make some good points..." He looked them over again with a frown. "Still, my original point still stands. You need to tone down your obsession with each other and focus on rebuilding your relationship with the others. Especially that Shield Brat.
"Once that's done, you can go ahead and help that blond kid to pull that stick out of his butt. Maybe I'll help out too if I feel like it."
"I… yeah, I'm really, really sorry about that Uncle-In-Law." Motoyasu rubbed at his arm. "I guess I've really been acting like an idiot lately, huh?"
"Never call me that again." Elhart visibly grimaced but then graced the Spear Hero with a grin. "Also, you always act like an idiot. You've just been putting an extra bit of effort into doing so lately."
"Hey!" Motoyasu bristled at the comment, but then Amber rested a hand on his arm.
"Uncle Bald Guy is right." She admitted shyly. "You do kind of act like an idiot a lot, Blondie."
"... awww…" Motoyasu deflated upon hearing that.
The Filolial woman smiled warmly. "But I find your silly personality really endearing and super sweet. It's why I love you."
…
"... awwwwwww…" Motoyasu inflated again, and a lovestruck expression spread across his face.
"Oi! Remember what I said!" Elhart butted in.
"Right, of course." Motoyasu shook his head but still gave his Filolial wife a sincere smile. "We'll save it for when we're alone, I say!"
"Of course, my sweet idiot husband." Amber smiled sweetly at him.
"Oh, Gods, I swear I'm not getting paid enough to watch over everyone like this." Elhart groaned as he put a hand to his temple again.
At this rate, he was going to have a stroke thanks to these two.
And no, it wasn't because he was old! Stress could kill young people too!
"Don't worry, Uncle-In-Law! We'll definitely tone it down around our younger bro from now on!" Motoyasu saluted together with Amber.
"What have I told you about calling me Un- ah, forget it. I'm too tired to deal with this crap any longer." Elhart groaned.
"Hooooh? Is that so? I won't ask you to have a spar with me then."
The three all jumped at the voice that came from behind them.
They turned around, only to see Granny standing in the middle of the hallway.
"Ah, Granny, good to see you! Are you having a good morning by any chance?" Elhart asked cautiously while subtly examining his surroundings for any potential escape routes.
"Why yes! Though, I'd be having a better morning if my two star pupils weren't so late to my training!" Granny answered, a small, sweet, and deadly smile resting on her face.
…
Elhart's, Moto's, and Amber's senses all went into a state of high alert. It was almost like they could see the waves of energy coming off Granny's small old form. Which shouldn't have been possible, since only Rishia and Itsuki were trained to be able to see life force so far.
"Oh?... oh… Oh…" The three all paled at the same time.
Rishia and Itsuki were late to Granny's training.
That wouldn't bode well for the pair.
"Would you do this old woman a favor by telling me where I could find my young students, please?" The old woman continued in her same, sweet, deadly tone. "I'd hate it if something bad had happened to them."
…
…
Every single member of the trio simultaneously pointed to the doors behind them.
"Much appreciated." Granny gave them a curt bow, before going past them into the room.
"Ah, Uncle Bald Guy! There you are!" Right after Granny walked in, Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Melty exited through the same door. "Oh, and Moto and Amber." The kid Hero said in a dry voice.
"Uh, h-hey, Shield Bro, how are things?" Motoyasu asked nervously. A large sweatdrop appeared on his forehead.
…
Naofumi completely ignored him and instead continued talking to Melty about things he could remember from his world. After their petty argument had ended earlier, Raphtalia brought up the question to help ease the tension between them. Melty listened intensely to her younger brother's words.
"HURGH!" Motoyasu's features lost all their color. A tiny wisp of his soul escaped out of his mouth.
Uncle hadn't been joking around! HE'D ACTUALLY RUINED HIS BRO RELATIONSHIP WITH NAOFUMI!
HE NEEDED TO FIX THIS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, I SAY!
"R-Raphtalia, I'm really sorry for not… well…" Amber began nervously, only to fidget in place as she couldn't think of the right words to say.
Raphtalia looked up at Uncle Bald Guy curiously. "Did you have a talk with them?"
"Yeah, I did. Though, I'd recommend we talk about this later. Right now, we need to get out of here as fast as possible." Elhart cautioned while swallowing hard.
Melty and Naofumi snapped to attention when Uncle Bald Guy spoke, as they picked up on the audible fear in his voice. "Why, what's happening? Did those two-"
"No, it wasn't anything these two did. But Granny-" Elhart tried to speak out.
Boom!
The doors burst open as Ren and Wyndia ran out of the dining room. Their eyes were wide with fear, and they gripped tightly to the hands of their party members whom they were dragging behind them.
"Runnnnnnnnn!"
All the other patrons that'd been eating ran out behind them as well. Many of them were veteran knights and adventurers. A few were waiters and cooks.
ALL of them were screaming in terror.
Naofumi and the rest were almost taken aback at Ren and Wyndia's seemingly out-of-character outburst, but then they saw a truly horrifying sight that the crowd of people was fleeing from.
"P-Please! Have mercy!" Itsuki begged on the floor where Granny had him pinned in a lock that any championship wrestler would have been proud of. The table he'd been napping on was embedded in the opposite wall.
"FUEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Rishia never thought this was how their morning nap would have been interrupted!
"ORA! I've been waiting for you two for thirty minutes, and here I find you two napping in your breakfast! And I can already tell by the state of your muscles that you ignored my advice about bathing in the Hot Springs last night, didn't you?!" Granny yelled.
"P-Please, w-we h-h-had dinner and th-then it was s-s-so l-late and-"
"You must think little of my offer to train you in the ways of Hengen Musou alongside my star pupil, Bow Brat! And to think you dared to infect her with your laziness and procrastination too!" Yep, that was definitely a deadly aura of energy coming off the old lady.
She looked like a demon straight out of one of the anime Naofumi sometimes had nightmares about. It'd been a really good one too that he'd watched with friends that had fantastic art and an awesome main character who had a sweet wholesome relationship with his demon sister.
It was too bad he couldn't remember the name of it or the names of the characters. He might have been able to accurately place Granny on the list of scariest demons had that been the case.
Then again, his mom would have killed him if she had ever learned that he'd watched that kind of show at such a young age. So perhaps it was better for him to forget this stuff after all?
"Okay, we're late to our monster hunting trip, everyone! Let's go!" Elhart said as he picked the two kids up. Shadow materialized next to him and picked up Melty.
Motoyasu was right. Ren had definitely gotten a lot wiser with how quick and appropriate his reaction had been.
Without another word, the entire group booked it out from the room and the events transpiring within. Following the example of Cool Bro Ren and leaving Itsujerk to his fate!
"No, I swear that isn't the case at all!" Itsuki pleaded for mercy on the ground with tears in his eyes.
Why did his life suck so much?! First, he had to sleep on the edge of the twin-sized bed as far away from Rishia as possible so as to not give her the wrong idea (a nearly impossible feat, as the two were literally back to back on the small mattress)! Then he'd been too tired to eat breakfast and had fallen asleep because he'd been on the edge of his nerves all night long and had hardly slept!
And now, his crazy new teacher had given him the rudest awakening of his life and strewn his breakfast all across the floor!
"You two will be giving me 150% to make up for the time we've lost so far!" Granny yelled. "Then we shall relax in the Hot Springs together so I can ensure you won't skip out on its benefits again!"
"150%?!" Rishia screamed.
"Y-You're making us bathe together?!" Itsuki screamed.
"Make that 200%- no, 250%! And yes, TOGETHER!" Granny roared.
"Th-That's impossible- OW! OW! OKAY! PLEASE STOP, WE'LL DO IT! WE'LL DO IT!" Itsuki started to bawl.
"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!"
Needless to say, this was a day that'd prove more tortuous than any aim correction class he'd ever taken back in High School. And that class was taught by a freaking JSDF drill sergeant! A retired one, admittedly, but still!
Granny legitimately made him wish he could have his drill sergeant from hell as his teacher again.
Naofumi would have noted a lot about the day's grinding session. But it was, needless to say… very, very, very, VERY boring.
Like, it was amazing that someone could ever get this bored and not die from it.
"Uncle Bald Guy, wasn't the boss monster on this island supposed to be tough?" Melty asked confusedly.
"Yeah, the dog monster from yesterday felt like it was a lot stronger." Raphtalia agreed.
Granted, it'd only lived for like, ten seconds at most. But at least it'd felt hard to cut through it… at first, anyway.
"I know I wasn't there for it… but even I have to say I'm not very impressed." Amber admitted after looking down at the blood-soaked black claws she was wearing over her taloned feet.
They were a drop item from the dog boss yesterday. And while Amber wasn't used to fighting with a weapon, they'd really helped to increase her attack power quite a bit.
They also dropped her defense. But with Naofumi's new All Drifa Aura X spell, it didn't matter at all.
…
Yes, Naofumi had been so bored that he used this free time to figure out how to cast not only the drifa tier of the spell, but it's multitarget option too. And he'd then used the stat points he'd gotten from all his leveling up as well as the stat points that he had left to upgrade that spell to the max.
However, it'd only made the fights even more boring. Everyone's stats were all so high now that even Raphtalia Clanged whenever a lesser innocent(?) monster tried to bite her, and she could punch them into a bloody mist with just her fist…
…
Ok, he was lying about that.
It was actually Uncle Bald Guy who had done that after Naofumi cast the spell on him once more against his better judgment.
And while the old blacksmith had gone on a crazy rampage afterward, he did eventually calm down after making a throne out of random monster carcasses for himself.
…
As gross as it'd been absorbing that into his shield, it was pretty cool to see the spell was able to make Elhart powerful enough to split the ocean in half with his attacks while it lasted.
Elhart could only scratch the back of his head as Naofumi absorbed the remains of the latest giant Usapil boss they'd slaughtered into his Shield. "You know, when I fought this thing together with my old buddies last time ten years ago, I was the only one strong enough to hurt it, and just barely at that. Heroes are seriously overpowered." The bald man admitted.
"So we're way stronger than you were back then," Naofumi replied with a grin.
"Sure kid… but not by much," Elhart responded back with a grin of his own.
The two both stuck their tongues out at each other before laughing.
Naofumi hadn't even kept track of how many times they'd killed the Karma Usapil or its Karma Usapil Familia minions. The only thing left for Naofumi to do at that point was to grab the foot of the boss monster when it came out of its portal and then the others would move in and slaughter it before the boss even had a chance to squeal out in terror.
It was supposed to be dangerous because of its high agility stat. But agility didn't seem to matter when you were stuck in one spot.
Though, Naofumi was wondering if he actually needed to grab it by its foot to keep the boss from running away in terror the last few times.
It appeared to have gotten paralyzed with fear and its eyes looked vacant and hollow as Uncle Bald Guy's warhammer caved through the boss's large and innocent(?) skull the last few times.
Actually, he'd noticed this happening soon after the first boss that they'd faced. And that'd been after it broke its teeth trying to bite down on Naofumi's hand.
Naofumi pouted at the memory of that first boss. He'd only been trying to pet it.
Stupid monster.
Even stupider for wasting some of their time trying to escape the island afterward.
Though, it'd also been the first time that he'd ever seen Uncle Bald Guy throw his war hammer to kill a monster. So at least they'd gotten something of a change-up from it.
…
Man, if PETA were to hear about the massacre here, they'd DEFINITELY be mad about it.
Naofumi cocked his head to the side. What the heck was a PETA anyway, and why had that of all things come to mind from the depths of his really degraded memories of his old world?
Mind on the present, brat.
"Hmph. Stupid Shield." Naofumi muttered under his breath.
"Why do you keep on saying that?" Melty asked confusedly.
"Because it's stupid, that's why- OW!" The kid pouted and rubbed his arm at the sudden zap from his weapon.
Elhart smirked as he rubbed the kid's hair. "So… Do we want to stay for the next boss spawn, or should we head back?"
"I mean, I haven't been very useful today since…" Raphtalia sadly held out the remains of what'd been her sword.
Right, it'd broken apart after the third boss. Meaning that she'd been forced to stay in the back line together with Melty to provide magic support ever since.
As bored as Naofumi was, Raphtalia was even more bored than him now. While she was proficient in magic, she preferred fighting monsters with a blade.
And her illusion magic only made the rabbit bosses even more scared. Which could be considered animal abuse… or would it be monster abuse in this instance?
Monsters were animals, right?
Elhart frowned at the remains of Raphtalia's weapon. He then began to rub the top of her head. "Don't worry, as soon as we get back, I'll get to work making a new blade for you."
"How long will that take?" Raphtalia asked curiously.
"Hmmm…" Elhart thought to himself. The little miss was level 75 now, but they still had plenty of days left for the activation event, so she would likely reach 85 or more by the end of the week if they kept going at their current pace. Higher leveled equipment was tougher to make and required more time.
"Maybe the brat can see if he's got any backup blades in his Shield that you could use for now?" Elhart suggested.
Naofumi tilted his head, but opened his inventory and then his monster drop menus to check. He wanted to slap himself for not doing that sooner.
"Let's see… no… no… no…" He had quite a few swords in his Shields, but they were all weak variants that would undoubtedly break with just one swing from the stronk girl.
His shield helped him learn that by marking them as red every time he tried to select one. It was like the time with the weird magic seed. Only different.
He continued down the list until he got to the latest drop items and-
Karma Rabbit Sword.
It was highlighted in green and its stats were displayed to the young Hero. Now that looked pretty stronk!
Naofumi pulled the blade out of his Shield and handed it to Raphtalia. "How about this one?"
"Ooooh!" Raphtalia admired the black sheen of the blade. She gave it a few test swings and grinned happily at how natural it felt. "I love it!"
"Hold on- let me see that!" Elhart exclaimed as he looked at the blade for himself.
What the- HOW THE HECK HAD THE BRAT GOTTEN A HIGH-LEVEL ITEM LIKE THIS-
WAIT, NO! NOW HE DIDN'T NEED TO WASTE A LOT OF TIME MAKING THE MISS A NEW BLADE FROM SCRATCH! WAY TO GO SHIELD BRAT!
"It looks like it has the same effects as my claws," Amber said while looking the sword over with curiosity.
"So your speed and attack are going to go up while your defense is going to go down," Melty said.
Raphtalia held the hilt of the sword gleefully. She didn't care about the drop in defense. She just liked the feeling of being more stronk now with her best friend.
Elhart was still frowning a little bit. As good as they were, these boss weapons had some disadvantages. Fortunately, he had a feeling that he could improve Amber and Raphtalia's new weapons in his free time. Maybe even get rid of those debuffs too.
Those were thoughts for later, however. For now… "Well, since we don't have to deal with that anymore, should we continue our slaughter of innocent(?) monsters?" Elhart suggested.
"I daresay, it'll only be another hour or so until the sun sets." Shadow pointed towards the evening sky. She'd just finished cleaning the blood from her daggers nearby.
Naofumi's eyes widened in shock. Had they really spent all day doing this boring task of slaying weak innocent(?) monsters again and again!?
No wonder he was so bored! This was beyond aggravating! He wanted to go out and actually do something FUN!
"Oh…" It appeared Uncle Bald Guy hadn't realized how much time had passed either.
Even if Amber was there now, Elhart didn't feel like it was fair to force everyone to grind till they all dropped unconscious from exhaustion again. Not to mention, he still had some equipment that he needed to work on. And he had all that ore from yesterday too…
As the former blacksmith pondered on these things, his stomach began to growl.
The kids looked at him with a grin, and the dragonsteel-clad blacksmith chuckled. "Well, I'm good to call it a day if you kids are."
"Sweet! We can finally explore the island and play around!" Raphtalia pumped a fist into the air.
Naofumi was actually surprised by his best friend being the one to say these words first. Even Shadow seemed a bit taken aback, as she didn't get to say her creepy line in time before Melty spoke up. "What do you mean play around?! We're not going to go out and search for bandits again, are we?!"
"Of course not!" Raphtalia smiled widely. "I doubt we'd find many bandits here anyway since there are so many knights and adventurers here to level up. But I'm sure we could think of something to do that Shadow would approve of!"
…
The kids all looked back at the black-clad woman. For once, she was the one shifting uncomfortably under their stares.
"I daresay, fine. As long as you don't cause trouble for anyone else, and as long as you remember to eat something before bed." She relented.
"Yay!" The three kids cheered. Even Melty looked excited!
"Hmph. Let's get back to the main island first and then figure things out from there." The old blacksmith suggested.
"Indeed." With that, they began their trek down from the center of the Usapi island to the ferryman waiting to take them back.
It was a pretty short trip and, instead of riding in the boat, Amber swam alongside them. Looking blissfully happy to be swimming around in the water again.
"Oh, maybe we can take turns riding Amber down to the ocean floor!" Melty suggested excitedly.
"That sounds fun. But if we do that, then two of us would have to stay on the beach and wait for our turns." Raphtalia pointed out.
"Yeah, but that would also mean that Shadow wouldn't be able to watch all of us at the same time!" Naofumi grinned evilly.
"I am always capable of calling in backup should I require it." Shadow spoke dryly from the shadows beneath their seats.
"And let me guess, you can breathe underwater too!" Naofumi pouted at their ninja babysitter.
…
She didn't answer. But that only gave the kids a foreboding feeling should they ever attempt to escape her via underwater means.
"How about we go visit that accessory shop?" Raphtalia suggested next. "Since Mel said she wanted to try going there."
"Ughhhh, do we have to do that?" Naofumi moaned in frustration. Why were girls so obsessed with shopping!?
"Hey now! Accessories aren't just there to make you look good! Some of them can increase your base stats too!" Melty angrily defended her decision.
"Really? Hmmm…" Naofumi rubbed his chin in contemplation.
If that was true, then maybe he could get an accessory to increase his attack stat!
But knowing his shield, that probably wouldn't work.
You got that right, brat. Glad to see you actually can learn something, for once.
Naofumi was so bored that he couldn't even feel disappointed when the text appeared on his HUD. "Okay, fine, we can go shopping. But what do we do after that? Any other ideas?" He asked.
The kids tried to put their heads together to think. But the ride was over too quickly, and then they were at the docks of the main island with the sun sinking in the evening sky.
Motoyasu was already there at the docks along with some adventurers coming back from their monster grinding sessions. It seemed like he was waiting for Naofumi and co.
"Oh, Mot-" Amber jumped out of the water and transformed into her human form, only to stop midsentence.
She looked back at Elhart and the kids and shuffled awkwardly in place. "It's, um, did your grinding session go well?" She asked with a lot of restraint instead.
Even her tone sounded awkward.
Motoyasu smiled tightly in response.
This was way more painful than he'd imagined it to be, especially with little Naofumi looking at him suspiciously.
"Yeah. I managed to do fine on my own." The blonde simp muttered awkwardly.
"Oh… um, what about Itsuki and Rishia?" Amber asked unsurely.
"Definitely didn't go near them. Last I saw, Granny was still putting them through one heck of a training session." The Spear Hero grimaced. "We're probably not going to be able to do anything for them tonight or tomorrow."
"That's… probably for the best…" Amber rested a hand on Naofumi's shoulder. "So, um, how do you feel about playing in the ocean?"
"Are you going to bring Moto along so you can let him steal you from me?" The kid asked with a bored look on his face.
…
Oh, the two adults both felt their hearts getting crushed at the same time. It was like the pain from before was inconsequential to what they felt now.
"We could still go to the market?" Raphtalia offered. "That way, we can all go together."
Melty looked less than enthusiastic. It would have been more fun riding around on Amber in the water.
Then again, it didn't look like Amber would enjoy that a lot right now.
…
Man, even Elhart was finding this atmosphere strangely awkward. He coughed into his fist, but the silence over the group wasn't broken.
Come on, where was that youthful energetic spirit at? It felt way too awkward with all this tension in the air.
…
"Ah, hey, it's Shield Kiddo and his friends!"
A familiar voice drew everyone's attention away to somewhere further up the dock, where another ferry had just arrived.
L'Arc stretched his arms out as he, Therese, and another girl got out of the boat they were in.
Naofumi tilted his head, looking confused for only a moment before he smiled and remembered where he recognized them from. "Hey, um… what are their names again?"
"I don't think we ever got them." Raphtalia tilted her own head curiously as she thought back on it.
"Those two are L'Arc and Therese. They helped us leave Inult Island yesterday." Elhart said happily. There was the missing batch of youthful energy that was needed to dissipate this tension! "And I'm guessing this third lass here is your missing friend?"
"Sure is! She's a little shy though so don't expect her to talk much." L'Arc winked playfully.
Glass shuddered in her spot. She couldn't believe this one bit.
She'd only wanted to watch the kid from afar! But then, after arriving at the docks last night, she'd discovered L'Arc and Therese waiting for her! And it hadn't taken them any more than a few seconds to piece together which island she'd come from!
She'd been forced to admit that she'd been on Inult Island and that she'd been the reason why no monsters attacked them. She expected them to be disappointed in her. Or that they'd try to keep her indoors for the following day.
But instead of getting angry about it like she'd expected, they'd been super happy to see her taking the initiative! And they had the bright idea of having her meet the Shield Kid with them personally instead of trying to help her atone for her actions from a distance! It was so unexpected and she couldn't tell why she was going along with this at all!
"Hmmm, this pretty pale lady looks really familiar…" Naofumi tilted his head to the side, and the already pale girl paled further.
"H-Huh? P-Pretty?!" Raphtalia's tail bristled from the Shield Kid's offhand comment, but Naofumi was too deep in thought to notice. It was the same case for the otherworldly fan wielder.
Yeah, Naofumi was definitely sure that he recognized her from around a month ago.
...
Oh no… Glass wasn't nearly as strong without all her power from her original world. If she was forced to fight now- but she couldn't bring herself to fight against this kid or his friends again, she just couldn't put herself through that again or-
Naofumi suddenly smiled brightly. "My name's Naofumi! What's yours, pretty lady?!"
"-!" Glass stumbled back into her friends in shock.
"Whoa, you okay?!" L'Arc asked her worriedly.
"Y-Yes, um, uh…" Glass felt a great mixture of different emotions while Naofumi continued to smile innocently at her. "Uh, um, I-I, I'm…"
Glass struggled to think of a name, due to how blindsided she had gotten by the unexpected turn of events. Unlike her two friends, the Heroes did know the spirit woman's name.
She furrowed her eyebrows as she searched the depths of her mind for an answer. L'Arc and Therese got on either side of her, staring at her worriedly.
"Umm… Is she ok?" Naofumi asked worriedly.
"As I said, she's a little shy." L'Arc smiled, doing his best to mask his concern.
"Yeah. Give her some time, and I'm sure that she'll-" Therese began to say.
"Kizuna," Glass whispered softly, after a moment of thought.
…
L'Arc and Therese stiffened in response. Naofumi tilted his head to the side in curiosity. "Kizuna?" He tested the name with his mouth.
Glass meekly nodded. "Kizuna… that is my name."
…
…
Naofumi's precious smile grew even larger. "Kizuna! That's a really cool name!" Naofumi said happily, much to the spirit woman's surprise.
"Y-You really think so?" She asked.
"Of course! Just the sound of it is awesome! Kizuna!" Naofumi sounded the name out dramatically with just a tad of childish flare attached.
Glass was beyond shocked, and could barely react when Naofumi shook her outstretched hand happily. "Anyway, I'm Naofumi! And this here is Raphtalia, she's my best friend! And this is Melty! She's like our older sister! She can be a bit nice or annoying depending on her mood but she's pretty cool to have around all the same!"
"What do you mean sometimes!? And how am I annoying-" Melty began to protest.
"Anyway, this here is Uncle Bald Guy…"
Naofumi introduced Glass to the others from there. Some either took his 'introductions' in stride while others attempted to give Naofumi a noogie after his unflattering descriptions of them.
Elhart's attempt to do so nearly broke his hand. Why did he keep forgetting how stronk the kid's defense stat was now?!
It didn't stop Melty from trying though. She must have had a really high pain tolerance.
The spirit woman was too deep in thought to notice any of these interactions past a surface level.
She was smiling softly.
…
Kizuna… really was a cool and awesome name.
This kid was wise beyond his years.
"So, Uncle Bald Guy, eh? I could have sworn you gave me a different name yesterday." L'Arc said teasingly to the bald blacksmith.
Much to his surprise, however, the older man laughed as he crossed his arms. "This brat was the one that gave it to me. So whenever he's around, I wear it with pride!"
"Yeah, but I remember calling you Bald Guy before you were Uncle Bald Guy." Naofumi giggled to himself.
"Huh- don't you dare claim you have a bad memory when you can still remember stuff like that, brat!" Elhart yelled angrily.
Naofumi simply giggled as he stuck his tongue out at the older man. The dragonsteel-clad blacksmith stood in his spot, fuming at the fact that the kid had succeeded in getting a rise out of him this time around.
L'Arc laughed openly at their antics while Therese giggled at the pair's antics. The sapphire girl especially was coming to like this kid's antics.
It reminded her of how L'Arc used to act when he was younger.
Before he… Therese's expression fell slightly as she looked at the redhead from the corner of her eye with sympathy.
"Anyway," After Naofumi was done with introductions, he turned to face the three otherworlders again. "Nice to meet you three! Me and my friends have been trying to figure out how to spend our evening before you showed up. Got any ideas, maybe?"
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that this is our first time here too," Therese answered with a soft smile. "We came here from a very distant country. So we wouldn't know what's popular and what isn't."
"Hey! You know me! We could always go and do a nice good old fashioned pub crawl and-" L'Arc began to say mischievously, only for Therese to shut him up by pulling on his ear. "OW! HEY! IT WAS A JOKE!"
"These are kids. Behave yourself." Therese threatened icily.
L'Arc pouted at her. Naofumi cocked his head in confusion. "What's a pub crawl?"
"It is when a few adults come together to act even more stupid than usual by drinking poison in a very vain and poor attempt to have some fun," Glass answered dryly.
"And they really find doing something like that enjoyable?" Naofumi asked in shock.
"Yes, somehow." Glass turned her head to the side.
This adorable little kid was really making her want to smile for some reason.
"Oh,come on, Gl-izuna. It wasn't that bad!" L'Arc whined while Therese continued to pull on his ear. "I vividly remember you smiling when we hit the bars together that one time!"
"Good for you, because I do not remember anything from that awful experience, except for the worst headache in my life the following day." Glass grimaced from the memory.
Naofumi smiled widely at the spirit woman, ignoring her sour expression. Glass had to turn her head to the side again to hide her own growing smile.
This kid really was too precious.
Meanwhile; Elhart, Shadow, Amber, and Moto were now glaring at the idiot redhead. L'Arc audibly gulped as he kept his mouth shut, for once.
Raphtalia looked around and counted everyone there. Then, her eyes brightened considerably. "Wait, I got it! Let's play dodgeball!"
…
The three otherworlders looked at her weirdly, but then Naofumi grinned widely. "You're right! There are more than enough people to make it fun! Why didn't I think of that sooner?!"
"… what is dodgeball?" Glass asked.
"You don't know- That's it! We definitely have to play dodgeball now!" Naofumi said excitedly.
For some reason, seeing this kid so excited over a game that she'd never heard about also made Glass feel excited to participate.
"Is that really a good idea-" Motoyasu tried to intervene. He still remembered what'd happened to him at the Sacred Dodgeball match a couple of months ago. And he hadn't exactly been practicing as Ren had.
"I don't know what this 'dodgeball' is, but I'm down to try it," L'Arc said happily.
Naofumi's eyes shined. "Awesome! Let's get started immediately!"
Motoyasu looked at the redhead again and grimaced.
He felt oddly threatened for some reason… but maybe it was just his imagination?
After all, he was still the best Big Bro in Naofumi's eyes, right…?
Right?
"Ha!"
"Whoa!" L'Arc barely dodged to the side in time. That ball had to have been going at least a hundred miles an hour! It'd literally left a smoke trail in the air!
"Nice one, Therese!" Raphtalia cheered her teammate on happily.
Naofumi pouted on the sideline. He couldn't believe it. Barely a minute into this round and he'd been knocked out alongside Moto.
They'd been playing dodgeball for quite some time now. The sun had set a while ago, but their stretch of beach was still quite bright due to the light spell that Raphtalia had placed in the air overhead. It wasn't too bright like the one she'd cast on the flying ship and helped to illuminate the area quite well.
After explaining the game and teaching L'Arc, Therese, and Kizuna the rules, they'd started the first match as a free for all, in which Raphtalia and Naofumi had won (as usual). Then, they'd split off into teams.
Uncle Bald Guy had gone off to grab dinner and run some other errands. But Shadow and Melty had stayed, with the ninja babysitter sometimes participating to even out a team when random adventurers and knights that were familiar with the game requested to join.
Melty didn't participate directly after the free-for-all, despite getting Amber and Glass out on her own.
Maybe she just didn't want to hit a Filolial again?
She did act as a referee after that though. And whichever team had both Naofumi and Raphtalia on it normally won as well.
Though, there was a point where they lost a few times after Ren and his party appeared and decided to join in for a few games. His cooler older bro and his girlfriend had almost as good of a dynamic as Naofumi and Raphtalia!
He wished they could have played around a bit longer. But when they had to leave, Ren promised to play more with him again when he could. Much to the younger child's delight.
Still, as time passed, Therese got more used to the game, and then when Melty had the bright idea to split Naofumi and Raphtalia up for the last few rounds, it became apparent who the real powerhouse of the ragtag duo was.
Naofumi instinctively formed a skill shield thinking the real Raphtalia had been targeting him, but it'd only been another one of her illusions. Amber had beaned him from the side instead, while Raphtalia's real ball had buried Moto into the ground.
It really wasn't fair facing five different copies of the two at the same time! Now he was understanding how Keel felt in their matches!
"Take this!" L'Arc suddenly threw a ball with all his might, managing to hit the real Amber before she could dive for cover. As an added bonus, the ball bounced off the Filolial and hit the real Raphtalia in the back. A double knock-out!
"No-" Motoyasu almost got up to reach out to his wife, only to constrain himself.
Right, tone down the obsession. Just try to rebuild your brohood with Kidfumi first.
"Woo! You can do it Big Bro!" Naofumi cheered happily. "I believe in you!"
"Wha- I'm supposed to be Big Bro though!" Motoyasu yelled at his kid brother in shock.
"Hmph, you haven't been acting like it lately, Moto!" Naofumi pouted up at the blond man.
Oh no! That wasn't his adorable pout! That was his 'I'm very disappointed in you and you're better than that' pout!
It was crushing the Spear Hero like nothing else ever had!
Motoyasu gripped the sides of his head.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, I SAY!
"Awww…" Amber walked off the field in disappointment. Raphtalia held her hand though and smiled proudly at her.
Naofumi grinned. Yes! Now it was just down to L'Arc and his strange yet interesting blue-haired girlfriend!
L'Arc himself was grinning. The power of that kid's Aura spell, whatever he'd called it, was insane! His stats were more than double what they normally were! And it was the only reason he was able to dodge Therese's attacks so fluidly despite the girl buffing herself with magic of her own.
If he could just get her out, then he could say that he'd finally beaten her at something!
"Sorry, L'Arc. No hard feelings, right?" Therese grinned widely.
Before he could snark in response to how he was going to make her eat those words, she finished chanting a spell that she cast on herself after placing a hand over one of the bracelets on her arm.
"Bejeweled Sapphire's Guide."
L'Arc's eyes widened as a familiar blue glow surrounded the gem girl. "W-Wait, Therese, you know that's cheat-!"
When she threw the ball in her hands again, it disappeared into thin air. And then reappeared in front of his chest.
L'Arc never even had a chance to see the ball coming.
Boom!
A shockwave echoed out from the impact. Blasting a bunch of sand into the air.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh-" Splash!
The idiot redhead, meanwhile, was seen screaming as he flew far out over the ocean before disappearing into the water.
…
Naofumi's hopes and dreams were dashed in an instant.
"I believe that makes it our victory," Therese said with a smile.
"Indeed." Glass had a small smile on her face as well.
"Yayyyyy!" Raphtalia ran around the girl with an excited happy expression covering her features. "That was so cool!"
"Well done," Amber told the girl happily. "I'm curious though, what was the spell you just used?"
This caused even Raphtalia to pause and look up at the blue-haired girl with her undivided attention.
Therese smiled. "It's something that helps to ensure the next attack the wielder uses, be it magical or physical, is almost guaranteed to hit the target. I've never seen it teleport the attack so close to an individual before, but that's probably because of how high L'Arc's stats were thanks to Naofumi's Aura spell.
"If the target is shielded, the spell won't work. But L'Arc's never been one to focus much on defense anyway."
"Coooooooooooool!" Raphtalia's eyes sparkled with envy. She wished she could learn a spell like that!
Glass was now holding a hand over her mouth. She was smiling really widely now and didn't want the others to notice it. "And here I was thinking you'd hold back on L'Arc."
"He'll never toughen up if I take it easy on him," Therese replied with a grin.
"True, very true." Glass nodded in agreement while continuing to suppress her mirth, even as Therese giggled openly.
Raphtalia cocked her head to the side confusedly.
"Owwwwww... That last one really hurt, Therese." L'Arc muttered as he crawled out of the ocean on all fours. He then turned his head towards the girl, revealing a frown on his face. "You couldn't have held back even a little?"
Therese giggled happily. "How could I when I was having so much fun beating you up?"
…
"... I feel so sorry for you, bro." Motoyasu, who'd walked up to assist the redhead, rested a bro hand on his shoulder.
L'Arc, however, smirked. "Eh. We've been best friends for years. I'm more or less used to this."
Though that last one really hurt…
"Hmmm…" Motoyasu didn't say anything else for a moment, and then he cast a healing spell on the redhead. "That should help to heal up the worst of the damage."
"Thanks, man. I definitely owe you for that." L'Arc then stood up and stretched himself out.
Naofumi, at this point, had run up to the pair. "Gotta say, Shield Kiddo, that was really fun!" L'Arc grinned at the boy's approach.
"Yeah, it was Big Bro!" Naofumi smiled widely. "At least you managed to fight to the bitter end!"
Motoyasu, again, had to try and not look like he'd sucked on a lemon.
L'Arc smirked. "Want to try something again tomorrow?"
"Would I?!" Stars appeared in the kid's eyes as excitement came off him in waves.
Motoyasu's eyes widened drastically.
'Oh no, this guy is legit trying to steal my spot as Naofumi's favorite Big Bro!'
He couldn't let that happen, I say!
But then, how was he supposed to keep the kid from bonding with L'Arc!? It was next to impossible, I say!
Before Motoyasu could fry his brain from thinking too much on the spot, Uncle Bald Guy made a surprise appearance, grabbing Naofumi by the shoulder. "Alright, enough of that now. It's getting late."
"Awww, but Uncle Bald Guy!"
"Nope, I already had to carry you back once. I'm not doing that again." Elhart smirked widely. "Besides, I can tell that you still haven't had dinner yet!"
Grrrrrr…
Before Naofumi could retort, his stomach audibly growled.
Raphtalia's stomach also growled audibly.
Naofumi pouted as Uncle Bald Guy laughed, but Raphtalia was smiling as she walked up and held the boy's hand in her own. "We'll be really looking forward to tomorrow then! Maybe we could even invite L'Arc and his friends to hunt innocent(?) monsters with us!" The girl suggested happily.
"You're… actually here to level up?" Glass asked curiously.
"Of course," Naofumi replied happily. I'm the Shield Hero, after all, so I have to get strong to protect everyone else!"
"Not that it'll help me slay innocent(?) monsters on my own." Naofumi glared at the Legendary Shield on his arm.
Learn to gripe about something else, brat.
Hmph! Naofumi crossed his arms and looked away from his weapon.
"What a stupid shield!"
Zap!
"Ow! Why you!"
L'Arc and the others sweatdropped as the kid began yelling at his weapon. But then, Raphtalia shook it off and spoke up excitedly. "And as his sword, I have to become strong enough to help Naofumi out whenever he needs me!"
"And, well…" Melty sputtered a little bit, thinking she'd just been put in the spotlight because of her new younger sister speaking up. "As their older sibling, I have to make sure they stay safe as well."
Ha, how was that for an on-the-spot remark?
"... you're actually related to these two?" Therese asked confusedly.
…
…
"B… By adoption." Melty stuttered. "Is there a problem with that?!"
"Calm yourself, Princess Melty. I daresay, I do not believe they meant any disrespect." Shadow rested a hand on the bluette's shoulder.
"Yeah, there's no need to go off on them," Raphtalia said worriedly.
"What is there to worry about anyway? It's not like Mel acts like an older sibling that often." Naofumi shrugged.
"You take that back!" The princess shouted angrily.
The two devolved into a childish argument, eventually dragging Raphtalia into it once again.
L'Arc smirked widely. 'So, a child hero that was also adopted by royalty. Just how many coincidences are going to pile up before…'
A frown tried to work its way onto his face, but L'Arc quickly buried those memories deep into his mind. Now wasn't the time for him to dwell on the past.
"Anyway." L'Arc cut into the children's argument. "I'd be down to grind with you Kiddos if my friends are down for it."
"Really?!" The stars reappeared in Naofumi's eyes again.
He used to think redheads were a sign of danger. But L'Arc was quickly proving to be an exception to that norm!
His excited gaze moved to Therese and Glass. The blue-haired girl didn't even flinch and smiled genuinely at the kid Hero.
"Yeah, that sounds like it'd be a lot of fun." Therese agreed happily.
"It does… but would we all be able to participate?" Glass asked in an uncertain tone. "I've seen that their group is already made up of six people." And parties greater than six people would lose out on exp gains.
"Meh. Mel, Shadow, and Amber can grind with Moto instead." Naofumi waved his hand dismissively. "I'm sure he'd appreciate the company, at least."
"I daresay, I would not comply with that whatsoever." Shadow suddenly appeared from the shadows behind them.
"Holy-" L'Arc jumped in surprise. But Motoyasu covered his mouth before he could finish.
This guy was going to be a threat to his younger brother in more ways than one, I say!
Still, even Therese was caught off guard. Glass's eyes had narrowed, but it was possible Shadow had even managed to sneak up on her.
If Glass wasn't feeling so terrible on the inside, she might just be curious to learn a bit about the ninja woman's training.
"Eh, we can figure out details tomorrow. Stop stalling your bedtime." Elhart rolled his eyes.
"Awwww, but come on-" Naofumi began to whine.
"Good night, everyone!" Raphtalia said cheerfully.
After all, the sooner they got back to their inn, the sooner they could eat.
And the sooner Raphtalia could enjoy some precious tail-floofing time before bed. As well as some precious cuddle-time in their dreams.
Ehehehe.
And with that, the Shield Hero and his party moved to retire for the night.
Amber, though looking longingly at Moto as she followed her younger brother, forced herself to turn away and follow Naofumi.
…
'Man… how am I supposed to get back into Naofumi's favorite big bro spot if he keeps on giving me the cold shoulder?! And what if I end up losing my relationship with Amber because of this?! This will be impossible, I say!'
Motoyasu despaired. To think he'd started off so great, only to fall from grace in the eyes of the kid.
Granted, Amber was a really REALLY good reason to fall from grace. But that's beside the point!
If he didn't get his act together… then he'd end up on the same uncool list as Itsujerk!
That would be the worst, I say!
"Eh, lighten up man," L'Arc suddenly put an arm over his shoulders. "It's not like I'm going to try and steal your younger bro away from you."
"H-Huh?! How do you- I mean, I wasn't thinking that at all!" Motoyasu threw L'Arc's arm off and stood up as tall as he could.
"I'd say it looked rather obvious that you were thinking that." Therese smiled smugly.
…
"Is it really that obvious?" Motoyasu asked in a small voice.
"You should not worry," Kizuna spoke up next. "He is only a boy. Children are known to change their views more often than not."
"An old friend of ours certainly did." L'Arc laughed.
…
This earned glares from his two friends. "What?! You know how true that is!"
"Anyway." Motoyasu interrupted. "When Naofumi becomes set on something… he really becomes set on it, you know," Motoyasu said while rubbing his arm worriedly. "It's kind of hard to change his mind about something unless you're really close to him."
And the chasm between them was widening by the minute!
Gods, he really needed to come up with a plan to fix everything with his kid bro, and fast!
"Worrying too much ages you man. Learn to relax a little." L'Arc smirked. "Otherwise, I might just take the title of "Big Bro" all to myself after all."
…
Motoyasu flared up in size. "OH, IT IS SO ON, I SAY!"
"That's the spirit!" L'Arc gripped the Spear Hero's hand and gave it a firm shake. "I say, let us hit the pub and plan for our day tomorrow! We can figure something out if we put our heads together!"
"Yeah, I'll totally kick your butt, you redheaded oaf!" Motoyasu declared.
"Bring it, you blonde bastard!"
The two raced over towards the nearest bar together.
…
"Don't tell me L'Arc said all that just so he'd have an excuse to gain a drinking buddy." Glass monotoned.
"Actually, I think Motoyasu just reminded L'Arc of how Kenshiro used to act before… you know." Therese crossed her hands in front of her and looked away.
"Ah…" Glass's frown softened. "Yes, you are right. I see it now that you mentioned it. I guess we can let him get away with having a bit of fun for just one night then."
…
"Mmmm…" Therese smiled before nodding in agreement. "Let's grab dinner somewhere before we call it a night."
"Sure," Glass replied curtly as she followed behind her best friend towards a different restaurant than the one L'Arc and Moto had gone into.
One could already see the two at the bar, trying to see who could outdrink the other in a drinking contest.
So much for planning for tomorrow. Glass and Therese were likely going to have to do all the planning themselves.
As for Glass… while she didn't really feel any different on the inside… she couldn't deny that the day had gone rather well despite her friend's blatant interference. And… she felt a warm lingering feeling from her interaction with the young and innocent Naofumi.
Perhaps they'd been right to suggest that it'd be better to try and become friends with this world's heroes than to watch over them from afar… though the terrible guilt of what she'd done before still gnawed at the spirit woman's soul.
…
As she and Therese wandered the streets together, Glass could only hope that the next few days wouldn't end up being a complete and utter disaster.
Author's Notes:
Ahahaha, yes. Continue working your magic Kidfumi! Bend these Otherworlders to your will and make them a part of your ever-growing family!
The kids continue to grow ever stronker. Naofumi has Drifa Aura X in his arsenal and Itsuki and Ren have likely upgraded their spells to this point as well, meaning they're definitely going to be beyond OP by the time they get off the islands. The antagonists are even more screwed than ever before!
It's a bit unusual for me to do an omake in this fic without Kidfumi or the other kids in it. But here we go anyway. I'll see you all next chapter!
Hero Clips!
Hangover Introductions
"Ugh..."
Motoyasu was laid back on a couch in his room. His head was pounding, his eyesight was blurry, and he still felt the urge to vomit despite the bucket next to him being filled with it.
"What the heck happened last night?" Motoyasu asked himself.
"Ugh, can you keep it down, bro? I'm trying to die over here."
Motoyasu slightly raised his head from the couch. Light from the window made him hiss, but after a moment, he recognized the person who'd spoken was L'Arc.
The redhead was lying on top of the Spear Hero's bed. For some reason, he wasn't wearing any pants.
On top of that, Welt was laying on the floor nearby without his shirt for some reason. He was still passed out.
Had Ren's party member joined them last night? He couldn't really recall anything after the fourth or fifth drink...
"Can you please die somewhere else then? I'd rather I didn't have to sleep where somebody died." Motoyasu groaned.
"Eh, you can always request a different room." L'Arc groaned as he stood up, rubbing tiredly at his eyes while Motoyasu's widened and he turned his face away.
"Put on some pants! Nobody wants to see that!" Motoyasu yelled.
"Whatever, I'm going to the bathroom if you need me." The idiot redhead rolled his eyes. He walked across the room half-naked, nearly tripping over Welt on his way to the bathroom.
He closed the bathroom door behind him without another word.
Motoyasu groaned.
That redhead truly was going to be a danger to his little bro. He was going to have to do everything in his power to-
"AIEEEEEEEEE!" L'Arc suddenly rushed out of the bathroom, slamming the bathroom door behind him and tripping over Welt's body on the floor.
"Ow, what the hell, man? Can't you let a guy sleep in peace?" Welt groaned as he sat up.
"M-M-M-M-Monster in the bathroom!" L'Arc yelled in terror.
"What are you talking about? And put on some pants already!" Motoyasu yelled. Did he seriously have to ask that twice!?
"What-" Welt, his curiosity peaked, opened the bathroom door and peaked in.
"Rowwrrrrrr-!"
"EEP!" Welt slammed the door in the Karma Dog's face. Motoyasu's eyes widened though, recognizing the boss monster of Inult Island.
However, he didn't remember it ever having a collar. Or having looked like it'd gone through a beauty salon.
"Alright. Seriously, what the hell happened last night after we got drunk?!" Motoyasu asked.
"I don't know! I definitely don't remember dragging that beast around with us!" L'Arc was still shaking in terror.
"Oh come on- PUT ON SOME DAMN PANTS ALREADY!" Motoyasu yelled at the redhead.
"But I don't know where they are!" L'Arc whined in complaint.
"Uhhhhh... guys, I thought I remembered being with Bakta last night." Welt suddenly spoke up.
"Who are you anyway and who the heck is Bakta?" L'Arc asked confusedly.
"He's Welt, he and Bakta are friends of the Sword Hero." Motoyasu sighed, trying to look anywhere besides the half-naked redhead. "Bakta must be somewhere else. As well as your pants."
"But where could he be?" Welt asked.
"Well, we can at least guess we were at Inult Island last night..." Motoyasu furrowed his brows.
...
"Eh, Farrie probably took her opportunity to steal him for herself." Motoyasu shrugged nonchalantly.
"What makes you say that?!" Welt asked loudly. He didn't think that was the direction Motoyasu would go!
"Eh, I know things. Including the little crush, she's harboring for the guy." Motoyasu shrugged. "Anyway, come on, let's find this idiot's pants before we have to start today."
"But what about Bakta?!" Welt yelled.
"Like I said, he's probably fine. Finer than me right now, at least." Motoyasu grumbled.
How he wished he could be holding Amber in his arms right now, I say!
"HELP MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
"Rowwwrrrrrr!" Chomp! Chomp!
Bakta was not fine.
He was currently screaming his head off as he ran away from the snapping jaws of a large Karma Dog boss monster on Inult Island.
He had no idea how he'd gotten into this situation. Or why he had a pair of pants (that weren't his) wrapped around his waist. But the party tank didn't find this funny in the slightest.
"Welt! If I survive this, I'm going to kill you!"
He remembered being with Welt before this, so this definitely had to be his fault somehow!
Chomp! RIP! "AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Bakta barely managed to avoid having his butt bitten off. But unfortunately, the back of his pants now had a giant hole in them.
At least he had the extra pair of pants around his waist. He could change into them later, if he managed to escape this boss monster that is.
And that was why you should drink in moderation... or just not drink at all.
You might have to deal with something far worse than a hangover the next day.
Especially when your drunken stupidity is combined with the stupidity of three other drunken guys.
Till Next Time
Allen