"Talking"

"Thinking"

[Status Magic or other reference to a system or power]

…

When Melty was finally done handling her sister and handing out orders to the knights, she stood still a few seconds before bracing herself and turning to face Naofumi...

"They're gone..." Melty announced as she began to cry a little.

...

Three blocks away

...

Naofumi came to a stop and placed Filo back down beside him. He waited a moment for his family to come to his side before turning around and placing a hand on Filo's head.

Naofumi noticed how Teal kept looking at her hand with a weird look on her face.

"Did Motoyasu's attack do something to you, Teal?"

"Hmm... No. It's just feeling a little weird."

Satisfied with that answer for now, he looked at the knight and his companions.

"Talk." One word. Naofumi was trying to be level-headed and calm, but after fighting off a super-powered molester and finding out Melty was a part of the most awful group of people he knew, he was struggling to remain peaceful.

"We were having such a good time too... Melty, Malty. Why didn't I see that? I'm so fucking stupid."

"We-well um, Shield hero... we wanted to ask if... if you'd allow us to accompany you during the waves?"

Naofumi heard what was said, but had a lot to think about. Raphtalia took over for him.

"And what reason do you have to fight alongside Naofumi-sama? To not only side with him, but to raise steel beside him?"

Raphtalia was also recovering from the news about Melty's lineage and felt additional scrutiny was necessary.

"I-that is to say, all of us have family in Lute Village. Our families told us about what you did. What you and the shield hero did. We know that you prioritize the people. I-We would like to help. We want to do for other villages what you did for Lute... Please let us join you."

Filo tried to tell her father that she thought these people were trustworthy, but after what happened with Melty... He couldn't just rely on her intuitions. Even though they still remained 100% accurate, as Melty never actually lied.

"Hmm, we'll have to discuss this."

Before the knight could affirm anything, Naofumi used [Telecommunication] and [Trickster] to not only keep these strangers from hearing their conversation, but also to bring Liviccic and Sophia into the conversation. After all, Liviccic was the only real issue.

"Hey it's me. I have a few more volunteers for the wave..., but I'd prefer you two. I cannot guarantee that they'll keep quiet if they recognize you. So I'll let you decide if you two-"

"Naofumi!?" Liviccic screamed as he fell down.

"...Yes?"

"You gotta give me some kind of warning! I thought an evil spirit was invading my mind! Think man!" Liviccic yelled before attempting to catch his breath and pick himself up.

"Oh grow a pair." Sophia chided him.

"Don't give me that. You fell off the ceiling when he started talking! Just because you caught yourself, don't act all cool and collected now!"

"Sh-shut up! I wasn't falling, I was... assuming an attack stance... for the intruders I thought were speaking."

"Okay. I'm not even near you and I can tell that's a lie." Filo slid the remark into the conversation without consideration

"...I'll forgive you Filo, you haven't yet been taught the proper rules as a woman. Like never calling your fellow women out like that."

"Or not to talk to strangers." Monti added.

"Honestly, I feel we failed in not teaching that very basic lesson..." Raphtalia said in a disappointed tone.

"Family drama later Raphtalia... So, what were you wanting again?" Liviccic asked.

"Like dad was saying before. We've found others that want to join during the wave. We can't guarantee they'd keep their mouths shut about you. So it's your call." Monti reiterated for his dad.

"Ah, well then it's fine."

"Really? After everything you two went through to hide?" Even Leon had to ask that, based on what he knew about them.

"It's fine... Because after the wave, Sophia and I will be going straight to Briarhaven and taking my home back. The few who worked to have me removed will be dealt with in short order."

"Good... I will also have something for you, Liviccic. Feel free to owe me for it when I can hand it to you."

"Sigh, If it turns out to be worth my time, feel free to beg for some coin from my noble coffers."

"You don't even have the coin yet and you're already spending it? How sad." Leon commented.

"It's almost like this whole conversation was just an excuse to try to sell Liviccic something he never even asked for." Filo said giving her father a look.

"..." everyone was quiet, but somehow that silence was quite loud.

"Well, it's currently 25 hours and 17 minutes until the wave. Use that to be ready. Bye." Naofumi said before quickly ending the call.

"Father. Your ability to even exploit even your allies for coin is inspiring. I'll do what I can to match your greed." Leon said in a way that made it seem like it was meant as a compliment and not an indictment of his character.

The family wasn't up to a chuckling mood yet, but their collective mood lightened a bit.

After exchanging looks, they turned to the knight and his allies.

"I'm Naofumi Iwatani, the one you refer to as the shield hero. This is my... girlfriend, Raphtalia."

While Naofumi was talking, Raphtalia was dancing and cheering internally at his admission of her status.

"And these are our four kids. In order of age: Monti, Filo, Teal and Leon. In addition, I have two other allies who will be at our side when the wave begins..."

He gave them a sweeping glance before continuing.

"If you join me you have to follow two rules. Firstly, don't die. If you really meant what you said, then we'd be happy to have you. My allies are growing, but they are not yet so large as to allow me the luxury of losing some to one of your poor decisions. Survive yourself before worrying about others..."

The group seemed touched by Naofumi's concern for their well being.

"The second rule: Hurt my family and they'll never find your body. Same for my close friends."

The group didn't react much to those words, even though he made them sound as threatening as he could. Perhaps they weren't scared because they have no harmful intentions. So in their eyes, the threat wouldn't ever be acted upon.

In that regard, Naofumi was satisfied with their lack of a response.

"I'm not giving you people a single copper, but I suggest you gather what resources you can and get better equipment. Meet us at Erhart's Blacksmithing tomorrow morning to talk strategy and assign tasks."

Naofumi told them where Erhart's and the witch's shops were. He recommended them both. They then took their leave after being added to the party and being told when the wave starts.

Once they were out of sight, he turned the kids. He needed to deal with the Melty thing right away, but the kids really liked her so he didn't know how to begin.

Raphtalia stepped in for him.

"Listen kids, it's not that Melty did anything wrong, but her being royalty can and will cause problems for us. Until your father can figure out how we should act... You need to stay away from her."

"No. No, no, no!" Filo wasn't having it.

"Filo... I need time to think. This is important. The safety of the whole family is at stake."

The safety of the family was not something Filo could so easily dismiss, but she was upset at the mere idea of not playing with Melty every day.

Filo shook in place, but nothing more. Raphtalia took Filo into her arms.

"I know how precious a friend can be. We're not saying to abandon her." Raphtalia's words helped and Filo's mood nearly evened out.

Naofumi decided now was the best time. The kids needed lifted spirits or else they'd have no fun shopping.

"I know we have some things we wanted to do today, but before we can get to that... I have something for you. For each and every one of you."

Naofumi pulled a few items from his [Inventory]. He then went down the line, handing out items to each of them.

He went up to Raphtalia first and softly grabbed her hand, sliding a thick, golden bracelet past her wrist. It held a circular piece of jade as its center piece. Naofumi chose to use the little bit of jade he had on this piece over an emerald because of the outstanding quality that piece of jade was. It was actually just a bit better than the emeralds in this case.

"I made this to be the same size and shape as one of your shackles... I know you keep them as a reminder, but we both know that's not who you are anymore... This has an effect that extends the duration of spells and skills. I figured you'd find a lot ways to use that."

Naofumi didn't say it, but he was silently asking Raphtalia to stop wearing those shackles. Raphtalia had worn them to be a reminder as Naofumi said "..., But if a reminder is all it is then this would do too... And he put such effort into making it too..."

"Thank you..." Was all Raphtalia said.

They shared a look before Naofumi went to Monti next. He took a knee and pulled out two silver cuff-links, each with a small topaz. The design was a square cut into four sections by a small groove. He showed Monti where to wear them as he assisted putting them on.

"These silver and topaz cuff-links are for you... They are less showy than the others, but unlike the rest, they actually serve a real purpose. Like how you do everything you can to be useful. You seem to like practicality more, so I figured this was the way to go. Plus they go with the suit really well. They have an effect that increases magic efficiency. It'll not only help conserve Mp, but it accomplishes that through helping the flow of mana. I can't wait to see all those new spells soon."

Monti had a warm smile as he looked over his gift. His father really did know him well. Naofumi quickly moved to Filo. Once again he took a knee in front of Filo as her sour mood was replaced with her bouncing in anticipation. He pulled out her gift and showed it to her. It was a golden hairpin in the shape of one of her wings with four small blue amber gemstones at the start of each of its four feathers.

"Filo. This Hairpin is for you. I thought keeping the hair out of your eyes would help. You are always moving, always doing something. I just want to make sure you see where you're heading before you get there, you understand?"

And she did in her own way.

"It also increases your speed... Like you'd need it."

After placing it on her head, she wrapped her little arms around his neck and gave him a hug. He pat her back a few times to tell her it was enough, but had to actually remove her himself, she wasn't stopping. She wasn't upset at him for the Melty situation, he was thankful.

After putting Filo down, he moved down the line to Teal. He took out the item and bent down. It was a large silver brooch in the shape of a flower. Several small amethysts embedded into it, nearly a dozen. To anyone else it was simple beautiful, but Teal had been studying medicine alongside her father and so knew what flower it was meant to be.

It was mimicking the appearance of the mythical [Chalice Orchid] they'd seen referenced in the books often. A flower with curled petals that was said to catch the rain and turn it into medicine without need for any other steps. A plant with an infinite potential to save and mend the people.

"From your look I see you can tell. I see you as a [Chalice Orchid] yourself. You have and will continue to aid many people..., but I know it hurts you to do so. You have to cut pieces of yourself off. So I give you this. It has a constant healing effect to it, to both help you stay healthy and to symbolize your purpose."

Teal watched him place it on her kimono, then she sprang into hugging him. He expected this from Filo, but found it outside of what he expected from Teal. After a moment, she let go and smiled. Naofumi smiled back.

He then went to Leon, the baby of the family. He pulled out the last item, a golden medallion with three Garnets laid into it. The front had an engraving that looked like a dragon's eye. The other side was an image of the same eye closed. Leon stared at it awhile. Naofumi placed it around his neck as he spoke.

"That damned tailor stole my idea for a slumbering dragon, but maybe it's better that it matches. This medallion is supposed to represent the two states of any dragon. If you are not acting, you should be thinking and if you are not thinking, you should be acting. Just remember that during the wave tomorrow. This Medallion increases the power of spells and other forms of magic. You were able to cast a spell the day after receiving your first spellbook. You're incredibly talented. I can't wait to see what you do later on."

Leon held the item a moment before turning it to thr closed eye side and giving his father a smile he failed to hide.

"Alright. Monti, Teal. You two mapped out the shops, so you lead the way."

...

At the royal castle

...

Malty, Melty, Motoyasu, as well as his party and several knight filed into the throne room. The king looked confused at this situation as Melty stepped forward to speak to her father.

"Father, there was an incident in the market sector. To get to the bottom of the cause, I've brought those I believe responsible to you."

"In the market district? What type of incident?"

"So you were unaware?" Melty felt she already won.

Malty tried to manipulate as she does, "Father my dear sister is too young to fully understand all the factors. The shield hero-"

"I've brought you here to receive judgement. As such, this is to be treated as court, so no speaking out of turn... dear sister." Needless to say, Melty was mad.

"The shield hero!? What did that devil do now!?" The king bellowed.

"Father he-" Malty began to speak, but two knights came to each of her sides as Melty gave her a look.

Melty began speaking.

"The shield hero was the victim, not the perpetrator. I and nearly a dozen other eye witnesses can attest to it. This man, the spear hero attacked Naofumi out of nowhere, claiming his... ally was his slave. I can personally attest that Filo isn't a slave. She has no slave crest and I've seen her defy his orders."

"Melty... How are you as familiar with the shield hero as to call him by name? And even know his party member's names..."

"Drat!" Melty said their names, even after remembering not to refer to them as father and daughter.

"Wait a second... I saw you with Filo-chan the first time I met her... Yeah you were with her and that other one, her brother?" Motoyasu said, parsing his own memories as he did so.

Remembering her there with Filo was a huge problem.

"Melty, what is going on?"

"...That is not what I've brought them in front of you for. We have several problems to address. Sister held a royal decree earlier, but you had no recollection of that? Forging royal documents is a serious crime! Then there's this hero's actions. He attacked Naofumi several times as he was given warning after warning to leave him and his family alone an-"

"MELTY!" Her father yelled and she quieted.

"To your earlier claim of your sister forging documents, that is untrue. I was simply unaware of what you were speaking of, I approved that duel to free his slave."

"Filo isn't a slave!"

"Even if that's the case, he fled a sacred duel. We must find him and punish him for his crime."

"He didn't flee, I cancelled the duel. Even if he did flee, the duel was invalid because the terms are unreachable. Filo isn't a slave, so the outcome of freeing her was already reached. You can't punish someone for not freeing an already free person."

The king was growing frustrated, but not just because Melty was defying him. He was no fool. She was seen with them, knows their names, and refers to them as a family? Only one conclusion.

"Melty, am I to take it that the shield hero has been masquerading as the savior of the heavenly fowl?"

She felt she failed completely now. All she had was her word...

"He hasn't been masquerading at all. After the many terrible things that happened between you and him, Naofumi decided to be a hero under a different name. Even the person the spear hero is trying to free is his name sake heavenly fowl. You saw her transform during the fight?" She questioned Motoyasu.

"Um, yeah. I have no idea what that was though..." Motoyasu admitted

"Filo is a filolial queen, she can change between her monster and human form at will. See father? He IS the savior of the heavenly fowl. It makes sense too. Why he came out of nowhere, having no home or connections? Why he wants nothing to do with us. You and sister are acting so weird. Even... Even the moment he realized who I was... they abandoned me."

Melty was now crying and it was the one thing the king couldn't beat.

"Melty... Well, if it's true she is a monster, then we can't consider her a slave, which means the duel is invalid..."

"The-then the others. I saw him have other children with him!" Malty lashed out.

"Raphtalia is the only one with Naofumi who isn't a monster. I believe he did this specifically to keep you from doing this, acting in this way. W-Was Naofumi right? Have you been ruining his life? For what purpose!?"

"I-No. Melty, not at all. He committed a terrible crime. Because he's a hero, I couldn't execute him, but having him just walk around free is also injustice."

"Acting in this way is foolish though. The wave is tomorrow. His family is very strong and would be a great help to the cause. Why can't you just let him do his job?"

Malty started "Because he causes all kinds of problems-"

"That only seems to happen when you're around to accuse him. He's been to over a dozen villages and cities, and to all of them he's been a boon, but here, in this city." Melty finished.

"I require more details, Melty. If they abandoned you after finding out that you were royalty, what was the lie before that?"

She hated calling it a lie, but at the end of the day it was. Maybe if she apologized to Naofumi...?

"I told them that I was simply of noble birth. Father, I spent nearly a week at their side and I can't find much to complain about. The only issue that keeps Naofumi from being a model hero is that he hates us royalty and some of the nobles. I think I can convince him to-"

"You will not go near them." The king quickly said.

"Father, stop. They will not hurt me. Filo-chan has become my best friend and Naofumi is very kind."

"This isn't up for discussion. They are a danger to you."

Melty didn't want to have to do this, but...

"Then I will take your words as a father under advisement, but as the crown princess, I will act as I see fit."

As the crown princess, she was above the king in authority, but she had never used that authority before this moment.

"Melty, wait."

"I have to make amends with them. If we drive Naofumi from our borders, we'd lose too much. He's saved two villages, three counting Lute... and how many lives? 200? 300? More? We can't lose him!"

She was more right than she realized.

"I order all knights to refrain from engaging Naofumi or any of his party members in so much as an argument. That also goes for everyone in this room." She finished by looking at her father.

For the first time in her life, she had ordered her father. She hated doing it, but this seemed to warp into hurting Naofumi with little reason. It was almost like an unseen force was twisting the whole system to bring Naofumi harm.

"This must be how Naofumi saw things..., but I'm here now. First thing tomorrow, I'll go to him and plead my case. If he rejects me... More importantly, there are things to do in the castle. Those loyal to my sister will be reassigned by morning."

Melty swiftly left the room, a shadow coming to her side.

"You knew." Melty accused as she kept walking.

"...I did." The shadow followed right behind her.

"Your reason for withholding that information from me?"

"Your honesty was doing wonders at gaining the shield hero's trust. Had it not been genuine, he may have seen through it."

"Are you keeping an eye on him?"

"Of course."

"Has he said... has Naofumi spoke of me?"

"Yes. Operating in the same town as you has allowed us to stay more up to date on such-"

"What did he say?"

"My apologies, Princess. Just ten minutes or so ago, he said he'd 'leave you alone for now' and he'd 'need time to gather his thoughts'. So it sounds like hope remains."

Melty smiled at that.

"I want a shadow to intervene if someone attempts to harass Naofumi and his family. I want known the order I gave about not engaging with him in that manner. I'll also need to know where he is tomorrow morning. I'll need to speak to him before the wave starts."

"At once... What will you do for the rest of the day, princess?"

"Cleaning this place up as best I can. Separating the loyal knights from the rabble will be a daunting task. I can't believe how much this place has changed. I don't recognize too many of the knights stationed in the castle itself..."

"Then best of luck." The shadow disappeared.

Melty was going to need it.

...

The Shopping district

...

The party visited the shops that Monti and Teal mapped out the previous day. They stopped for sweets a few times. They were afraid Filo was going to spend their whole budget at this rate. Raphtalia also got a small amount of sweets from each location too. Naofumi paying for her share.

They all collectively noticed that shop owners treated them better than they did before. None of them gave them the stink eye for their appearance. They thought that perhaps, since they all looked so well dressed and that they were tossing a little coin here and there, that they were powerful and wealthy...

"Which we kinda are, huh?" Naofumi thought.

The kids noticed how much more naturally their mother was acting. She was acting more like a kid in some ways. They also noticed their father was being more physically affectionate than before. They realized they didn't ask about what their parents did yesterday, but didn't feel like asking.

As they went all over the place, stopping at whatever caught their attention, they slowly regained the good mood they had that morning. By midday it was like they never had the displeasure of meeting Motoyasu.

As they finished up the last of the shops, the kids were happy, but also a little disappointed that they did things so quickly. Naofumi noticed this.

"Don't worry, I have one last thing to give you kids, but we need to be outside the city to really use it properly."

After everything they had received recently, to hear there was still another gift surprised them all. They were beginning to think that maybe their father was paying them a little too much attention. They all quietly resolved to just be that much more useful during the waves.

...

In the wilderness of Melromarc

...

Fitts was working the earth with a shovel, in much better health than before. His face had healed incredibly well and only three small marks remained as a permanent reminder. Not needing to eat more than the nutrient pills thanks to the [Band of Satiety] and working through the nights with the energy pills had transformed his body into a perfect specimen.

He had to do anything and everything to survive. During this time, he had refined his skills with an axe far more than he ever did as an active knight. He had killed monsters and sold their parts to buy several things. A new axe was the first thing he bought. He had been using a wood cutting axe up to that point. He bought armor next and eventually upgraded both.

He was able to snag a single magic item off of one of his victims; a cloak that changed to a camouflage pattern of the surrounding colors. It had come in handy often.

Even now he had just lucked into a good crossbow and bolts.

How?

Fitts had just finished burying the third church follower he had killed today. He had set up an area with several traps and had himself well hidden. Every ten days or so he'd move locations again. Killing the church followers had been a great source of money, but also EXP. If only it wasn't split in two.

"Are you proud of yourself?" Someone asked.

Fitts looked over in annoyance. It was a shadow that was with the church, one he had captured soon after he left Naofumi's side. She was tied to the tree and had been so for several hours.

He hated the idea of partying with her, giving her EXP, but he needed to keep up with her current situation, as he wasn't always around.

He couldn't kill her because, as a shadow, she had all kinds of information. Even a little bit could help him tremendously. He'd already nearly lost her once when their camp was attacked by a large lizard monster. He had to free her or else they were both going to die. After they beat the beast, he barely caught and subdued her again.

Since that fight he had reached his wits end on what to do with her. While he was a harder man than he was before, he didn't have the stomach for torture. She seemed more cooperative than before, but still refused to speak of the church's secrets.

"It's not about pride, it's about survival... Any idea how they're finding us so quickly this time?"

She smirked as she rose to her feet, still tied to the tree.

"Maybe they finally want to consider you a priority? You have my sympathies."

"Could you stop acting tough for a moment? Does the church even have that many level 30s working for them? I'm level 29 myself, as you know. Between my level and my traps, I pretty much have no problem dealing with the rabble. You might be the highest level church member now, be grateful."

She was clearly frustrated, but only said, "I'm hungry."

"Sigh, of course. Give me a moment."

He put his shovel away and grabbed some rations. He sat next to her and held some food out by a fork.

"Eat." Was all he said, and she did.

After a few minutes of eating she started talking to him.

"You're not going to get away while holding me prisoner. Your best bet is to kill me and escape the country."

"Eat."

"I'm not going to tell you anything. I'm tired of this game. Slit my throat and be done with it."

"...Eat."

"Grr, just do it! You've killed more than twenty church followers and several of your fellow knights, what's one more body!?"

"...If I can live without killing someone, I will. If I can only live by killing someone, I will."

"That's cute and all, but that isn't the case. If the church wins, you die. If the church loses, I die."

"It'd be easier to keep us alive if you'd shut up." Fitts complained.

Fitts left to reset the traps. "As soon as I get some of that slave ink from that smuggler, you're going to be a lot more cooperative."

While he was gone, she freed herself from her binds and stretched a bit, before returning herself to her binds.

Ever since she was rebound after the lizard monster attack, she had been capable of escaping. She decided staying his prisoner would be better. He wasted supplies on her well-being. If anyone made it to him, she could stab Fitts in the back during the fight.

He'd said only a tiny bit about the shield hero he met. She needed more info. He would talk so little that she'd have to provoke him just to get him to speak. The real problem was she was not confident in her ability to take him in a fight and escaping through his traps were equally unlikely.

After a minute of thinking it through, she decided she was captured regardless of the rope. She freed herself again and finished eating her meal. Maybe surprising him like this would piss him off a bit? Like he said, he'd keep her alive up to the point he'd not survive it.

...

Just outside the southern gate

...

After cresting the second grassy hill from the gate, Naofumi and Raphtalia figured they were far enough away. They turned to the kids as Raphtalia spoke.

"We know you kids have a lot of energy. Not only because you're kids, but also animal instincts are telling you to be active. It has to be rough on all of you to behave so well without any real sort of outlet. We both agreed giving you time to play would help, but all you have is my ball and you're all just too powerful. You have to hold back too much playing with it to really get much out of it. So-"

Naofumi removed the item from his [Inventory] to reveal it to the family. It was a ball nearly twice the size of Raphtalia's. It was made from Gaelion's hide, some magic thread from each of them, one crystal ore from each of them, and sections of metal housing emeralds. An angry balloon's face made into one section of it.

[Iwatani Family Ball]

[Atk+ 10, Def+ 50, Mag+10, Mdef+ 50, Spd+25]

[Guard Up x6: six individual instances of 'Guard Up', which increases defense and magic defense by 25% each.]

"This is a ball you can use full force on. Each time you hit it, you're imbuing a bit of your mana into it, keeping it strong. It'll continue to strengthen itself as we six become stronger and then put our mana into it again. No matter how strong any of you get, you'll never be stronger than the rest of us combined. So don't be scared to use everything that you have here!"

Raphtalia's little introduction hyped the kids up a bit and when Raphtalia mentioned 'to use everything that you have', Teal nudged Monti. He understood the meaning.

Naofumi handed the ball to Monti and the four ran to the bottom of the hill. Once there, Monti explained the rules. You can't hit the ball twice in a row, you lose if the ball was hit six times in a row without you, and the number of hits goes down with player loss. Because of these rules there would be two winners left instead of one.

After those simple rules, he struck the ball to start the game.

The 'game' quickly devolved into a brutal war, as each kid used everything they had to launch the ball at one another or intercept the ball. Naofumi took a few photos of their matches.

Leon would knock the ball off course with [Fast Fireball]. He'd hit the ball only when he could build up momentum. He was still not even level 30, while Monti and Filo were 40 and Teal was level 36. He was definitely the underdog in this game.

Teal adopted a simple strategy. She was seemingly the whole ground as she ingrained herself then spread the roots out and have them sprout up large wooden arms to hit back the ball the moment it hit the ground. She essentially owned the ground

Filo seemed to dominate the game with her [High Quick], [Wind Walk], and [Blow Back] seemingly being created for this very game. She could be anywhere at any time and worst of all was how hard she launched the ball. It was the strongest by far.

Monti struggled a lot. He couldn't fly, so he was grounded like Teal, but couldn't dominate an area like either of his sisters. When he hit the ball, it was about as strong as Teal's hits, maybe a bit stronger. He tried to hit harder, but he was finding it difficult.

While Monti struggled, Filo, Teal, and Leon were annoyed. They saw how hard Monti hit Motoyasu earlier. They all knew he could hit at least twice as hard as he was hitting now. They all tried launching the ball at him more and more, but nothing seemed to change. Teal wasn't giving up on him yet though. He was able to use full strength for a brief moment, maybe it'd take time?

They played ten matches. In those games, Filo and Teal won nine times, while Filo and Leon won one time. Monti was frustrated by how clearly worse he was performing than them. If he was allowed to fly he believed he could have at least won one game. He wondered what he'd need to do to stop holding back.

By the end of the tenth game, they were exhausted, even Filo. The sun was also setting. This was exactly what Naofumi and Raphtalia wanted.

As the kids gathered together with their parents, Naofumi checked the ball to see a slight increase in stats already. It was made to last. He put the ball away in his [Inventory] and led the family back into town.

...

Back in the city

...

Once they were back in town, they prioritized food. They had an enormous dinner and tried to be as happy as they could. It was important to Naofumi that they enjoyed themselves today, but they all knew tomorrow was supposed to be a dangerous day. The day of the wave.

They had a fun few days even with the few problems they faced, but Naofumi felt they were in a way better position this time than the last wave. Each wave is suppose to be harder, but Naofumi and Raphtalia as they were before versus what his party was now was night and day. He felt confident in the family's ability to win.

As they went to their separate rooms as they always did, Naofumi and Raphtalia were stopped by the kids. They each wanted a hug goodnight, which they never asked for before. After the brief embraces, once he laid in bed next to Raphtalia, he couldn't help but think to himself.

"This is it. This is real happiness. I want to experience this every day. To date Raphtalia, watch the kids play, go on little street adventures with them, to hug them goodnight. Yeah, this is it."

Within moments of finishing his thoughts, he was asleep and Raphtalia with him.

.

[Author's Notes]

A less cynical Naofumi has led to the other small group into joining him without without being as much of an asshole. Progress.

Whose accessory did you like the most?

Melty let it all slip out, but is trying to put her foot down in an effort not to fail Naofumi further.

What will Naofumi and Melty's conversation be like the next day?

Hey, we see Fitts again and it looks like he's got his shit together in short order. That and he got himself a hostage that might cause problems later. Will he get a collar on her before she slits his throat?

So what do you think of the Iwatani Family Heirloom?

Please leave a review.