ch41-ch60 · 043-ch42

Chapter 42: A Lecture or Maybe Crisis Management

　Night.

　Papa was in the garage, checking the car.

　And I was in the living room... for some reason, made to sit seiza-style.

　Standing before me, arms crossed and posing like a guardian deity on a cushion... was Melkid.

　Yeah, what's with this scene? For a freeloader, why're you acting so high and mighty?

"You just don't appreciate Rock-dono's charm enough, young lady!"

　If I said "Stop calling me 'ojou-sama'!" it'd sound weird, so now it's just "young lady."

　And somewhere along the way, Papa became "dono." He's becoming more and more like an Edo-period henchman. Yo, Hachibei!

"Charm, huh...?" "During the day, didn't you notice how Sumi-san and that beautiful lady were at odds? That was a battle of women beginning behind the scenes over Rock-dono!"

"――Haa?"

　Honestly, Melkid, you're such a kidder.

　...Wait, what's with that unusually serious face for a stuffed animal... Are you serious?

"No, no, no, no, you're overthinking this. Even if I give you a hundred steps, I might be able to understand if Ryun-san fell for Papa, I mean, I don't get it but maybe it's possible, but there's no way Sumi, who's the same age as me, would fall for a middle-aged guy like Papa. ...Wait! You're not going to say Papa's a sugar daddy or something, are you!?" "What's with that suspicious and unsettling activity. ...No, that's just a normal girl in love, I believe"

"Pff!"

　I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

　That Sumi, who gets confessions from handsome guys from other schools too, falling in love with my twenty-years-older Papa, l-love... buhuuu---!

"……"

　What's with that look? Don't stare at me with such a knowing look.

"Haa... Maybe you can't see it since you're family, but in Ceylo, the Seven Knights aren't just called heroes—there are even derivative stories written by the citizens, and in most of them, the basic premise is basically that they're super popular!" "Well, that's just those over-the-top fanfics, right?" "No, no, while they certainly are exaggerated, they're based on stories that have been passed down and spread since the great war. As far as I know, Rock-dono should have had popularity comparable to the most popular White Knight, Lord Satchio."

　According to Melkid, Papa... Black Knight Rock=Rock's escape to another world was kept secret, and at the citizen level, he was treated as having died an accidental death, remaining a hero. It seems that for a country, having a hero escape would look bad.

　That's why, among the Seven Knights, the White Knight-sama who is famous as the strongest, and the Black Knight-sama who not only defeated the Demon King army but also caught thieves and ruffians to protect people, are particularly popular among the townsfolk.

"Even in those creative works, the pattern where the Black Knight-sama saves a village under attack and the village girl falls in love is a classic and popular one, and there are even rumors that it was actually written by a village girl of the time." "Hee~. Well, Papa was young back then, so it's understandable to fall for someone who saved you." "That's it!"

　Melkid points... since he doesn't have fingers, his fluffy little hand at me.

"Just the other day, Sumi-san was saved in a big way, wasn't she? It wouldn't be strange if she fell in love then, right?"

"Hm? Hmmm, mmm?"

　Just because she got rescued by her friend's father, she'd fall for him??

　At best, she might get attached to him, right?

　If they'd just met, maybe, but Papa has been Papa to Sumi since she was like two years old, so I don't think he'd suddenly become someone she has those kinds of feelings for now.

"You're stubbornly refusing to admit it. Are you a girl with a father complex, young lady?" "Fat... there's no way that's true! Stupid Melkid, stupid!" "Guh, that simple vocabulary cuts right to the heart...!"

　Melkid collapses, clutching his chest, damaged by my booing.

　...So, what were we talking about again?

"That's why I'm saying if you leave Rock-dono alone, he'll be popular, so you need to be careful of disputes between customers! Back then, even fellow knights and noble young ladies apparently sent him passionate looks." "Haha, that's gotta be an exaggeration." "Why won't you believe me..."

　Melkid tries to hold his head, but since his hands (front paws) are short, it only reaches partway. Somehow, he's starting to look cute.

"...Those kinds of romantic feelings are easily exploited by eiyō techniques. Please be careful around Rock-dono." "Uun, well, if that's the case, I got it."

　I nodded in response since Melkid was saying it so seriously, but Papa being popular... well, maybe over there, but definitely not over here.

　By the way, the most popular novel in the streets of Ceylo is apparently about the passionate friendship between Satchio and Rock.

　And its derivative creative works... no, would that be tertiary creations? Is about how the men's friendship crosses the line and turns into love. In every world, there are people who like that kind of thing, huh.

　I mean, even if it's creative works, Melkid, don't tell your own daughter stories like that about her father.