ch1-ch20 · 008-ch8

Chapter 8: Father and Daughter

　　In the end, Melkid got their wish and was taken to Kiri's house.

　　That thing's definitely a perv. It was all smug and happy being carried by Kiri.

　　After getting home, I spent some time thinking about the other world.

　　I'm not as deep into it as Kiri, but I still know what a fantasy other world is from manga, anime, and games.

　　People talk like it's some recent trend, but stories about other worlds have been around forever. Princess Kaguya from the moon, the Dragon Palace, Yomotsu Hirasaka—all those count, right? And in other countries, there are stories about elves and dwarves and stuff.

　　I guess that means everyone has some longing for another world. And I've wondered before—back when I was really little—maybe there really is another world out there somewhere, and people saw or heard about it long ago, and that's how the stories spread. You know, when I was even more of a kid than I am now.

　　But seriously, since something like Melkid actually exists, other worlds must be real. Crazy, right?

　　Well, I guess it's not impossible that it's some super advanced AI robot. Hmm, but it was eating kibble and everything. Even if I am being tricked by a robot, the fact that it can eat kibble is pretty surprising in its own way.

　　Anyway, either way, starting tomorrow I'm gonna help Melkid look for that person.

　　It's a little disappointing that my job hunt's getting pushed back, but my heart's really pounding too. I mean, come on, it's like I'm a character in a story. Of course that's exciting!

　　The knight-sama they're looking for saved the world over a decade ago, so they should be in their thirties or forties by now. About Papa's age, right?

　　"...Hmm? What's up?"

　　Across the dinner table, Papa held his rice bowl and looked at me with a puzzled expression.

　　"You've got rice on your face."

　　"Oh, so I do."

　　He stuck out his tongue to get the grain off his lips. I've seen this plenty of times.

　　Hmm, at least the knight-sama probably doesn't make such a goofy face. Even at the same age, they'd be more of a dashing older guy, I'd bet. I'd kinda like to see that.

　　"...But I guess I prefer the clueless type. It's more relaxing."

　　"Did you say something?"

　　"Nope, nothing. ...Thanks for the meal. I'm gonna take a bath. Leave the dishes—I'll wash them all together later."

　　"Okay, thanks."

　　We take turns making dinner. Whoever's not on cooking duty does the dishes.

　　I like cooking. But I'm no match for Papa at all.

　　Papa's cooking has this unique seasoning, like a taste you can't get anywhere else.

　　Even using the same seasonings, somehow it's different. Papa says the secret ingredient is love, but still.

　　The main thing at Papa's food truck is panini, and the reason they got popular was the distinctive but easy-to-eat flavors.

　　Thanks to that, business is booming. It's not like a food truck makes crazy money or anything, but it's doing well enough for the two of us to get by. I'm grateful for that.

　　"Ai, you forgot your towel. I'll leave it here."

　　"Ah, thanks~"

　　While soaking in the tub, I could vaguely see Papa through the star-patterned glass. Apparently this kind of glass is rare nowadays. I've lived in this house forever, so I just thought it was normal.

　　...Huh? Papa's still in the changing area. What's he doing?

　　"Ai, about this job hunt thing... you don't have to push yourself to work, okay? Thanks to our customers, we're doing pretty well for ourselves. Sending one daughter to college is no problem at all."

　　"I know, it's not like I'm worried about money or anything."

　　Though honestly, having some extra for future tuition would be nice.

　　And the car's been acting up lately too. If repairs end up costing a lot, that'd be a real pain.

　　But more than any of that...

　　"...Papa, you always tell me you want me to find something I really want to do, right? So trying out a part-time job is part of that. I wanna challenge myself with different things and find something I truly want to do."

　　Honestly, I still don't know what I want to do or what I'm good at.

　　Sumi's seriously pursuing modeling, and Kiri may not call it work, but she's throwing herself completely into her hobbies.

　　Somehow, I feel like I'm the only one getting left behind.

　　"...I see. If that's how you feel and what you're trying to do, then Papa will support you. But don't push yourself too hard, okay?"

　　"...Yeah, thanks."

　　Apparently satisfied with our father-daughter chat, Papa finally left the changing area.

　　Whew, I was about to overheat in here.

　　Still, I know he's worried about me, so I need to be careful.