8-8. At Toruma's Residence

Satou's here. Japanese houses can be described as rabbit's huts, but I think 1LDK is enough for living alone. The cleaning and tidying would be troublesome if it's too wide.

◇

"What are you making this time?"

"It's a wire."

The workshop visits are scheduled for the afternoon today, so I spend the free time to do some handiworks. Even though I say wire, it's not a simple steel thread. If I entwine magic liquid to a yarn, it becomes able to move it at my discretion. It can't move quite freely at will, so it might be good to think carefully on the knit direction.

Tama who sits on my lap has been entangling with the wire, so the work doesn't really progress. I've asked Mia to help me to hold the yarn, but it seems she's having more fun with the wire.

Mia, even if you're tired, please don't play with the wire together with Tama.

"Fuffuffuu, I know what you're actually making!"

Hoo?

"It must be, a whip sword!"

The heck is that?

Is there even any relation with wire.

"I'm just making a normal wire though?"

"Eh, boring."

The whip sword Arisa is talking about seems to come out in a certain anime, it's a fantasy weapon where the sword can detach like a whip connected with wire and back to sword shape. It's probably like a three-secion staff.

I don't think that it's practical at all.

When I tell that to Arisa, she says, "It's romantic." It can't be helped if it's a romance then.

Although, if I have the nature magic [Magic Hand] and [Mana String], I probably won't need the wire that can moves at will, but it might be better not to tell her that.

◇

The workshop visits in the afternoon finishes faster than scheduled, so I decide to come to Toruma's residence as I've promised the other day.

I'm followed by Nana, Arisa, and for some reason, also lady Karina and her maid Pina. Pochi and Tama naturally don't look like they want to go, and since the others also seem like they don't want to meet Toruma, I leave them behind. You've done a great job getting hated Toruma ossan.

Liza asked me to have her also followed, but I requested her to teach Lulu and the others self-defense and left them. If I thoughtlessly let her come, there's a high probably that she'll get offended there.

I've imagined that Toruma's residence will be a 3LDK since I'm told that it's a detached building of the viscount Shimen's mansion, but instead, the residence is easily bigger than the mansion we're staying. We enter from the back door near Toruma's residence so I don't get to see the main building, but it must be an imposing building.

Viscount Shimen is flourishing alright. No wait, the building is probably the fruit of many generations' powers.

"Excuse me for my long absence, Hayuna-san."

"It has been a while, Satou-san. Ara, I have to stop calling you Satou-san. Since you've got a peerage, I wonder if I have to call you with your house name."

Hayuna-san who I haven't seen for a while is wearing a relaxed noble wife-like clothes. They're not gaudy, but it looks graceful and of high-quality. Mayuna-chan is being cuddled by a middle-aged maid who looks to be the wet-nurse.

"I have come back, young organism."

Nana pokes Mayuna-chan with her finger, and the little hand catches that finger. Nana's face looks like it's melting when she sees that gesture.

Meanwhile, lady Karina looks at that situation very interestingly, but she doesn't try to approach the baby at all.

"Do you want to try holding her in your arm, Karina-sama?"

Hayuna-san has offered so to lady Karina, but she only replies by shaking her head. Come to think of it, she's docile in front of Toruma. Unexpectedly, he might have been her first love.

◇

"Have Karina-sama gone to the opera house?"

"No, there wasn't a good opportunity..."

"You should go by all means. You have to hear the miraculous voice of Lulilutoa the fairy at least once!"

"Hee, by fairy, you mean elf?"

"It's difficult to distinguish between fairy, but it's probably an elf."

We're having a chat while enjoying tea and snacks on the terrace.

Hayuna-san is talking about various topics with Karina who's being quiet and meek, but she doesn't respond it well. Arisa follows-up Hayuna-san to help her. Nana is going crazy about the baby of course.

"Oh right, Satou-dono."

"What is it?"

Toruma is going to say something at this time, but it will forever remain a mystery.

That is because the mood has been dyed by the appearance of a woman who pushes through the bushes.

"Ara, Toruma-niisan, I've thought you are eloping, you've come back?"

"Hey, Rin, it's been a while. You've become quite beautiful."

The one that appears is lady Ringrande. She's calling Toruma brother due to the habit since her childhood, but he's actually her cousin. Looks like she doesn't have her armor and great sword today. She's wearing red knight-like clothes with a thin sword hanging. However, judging from how she appears, is she being chased by someone?

"Toruma-niisan, I'm sorry, but can you let me hide here for a bit?"

"No problem. I've never declined a request from Rin right?"

"Thank you, nii-san is always reliable--"

Lady Ringrande scans on the people around while thanking Toruma closely, and immediately after she sees me on the corner of her eyes, she approaches.

"You, after failing to hit on Sera, now you're trying to approach her from the moat outside?"

That's quite outrageous even for a false accusation. The misunderstanding should have been cleared by Sera's explanation in the first place.

Arisa glances for an instant, but I gesture to her not to cut into the conversation.

"Sera-sama most likely had explained it already, but I just met her by chance when I was helping the food distribution on the downtown."

I try to tell her that it's just an unfounded misunderstanding, but the KY ossan talks about unneeded things as expected.

"So Satou-dono is aiming for Sera huh, I've thought that you surely will marry Karina since you've brought her here from Muno territory. It's still not enough with eight huh, I'm really jealous of young people."

"Toruma-niisan, are you speaking the truth?"

"Un? It's mostly true yeah."

Ossan, please restrain yourself from speaking statements that will birth misunderstandings. Eight you say, stop including lady Karina in the equation.

"You're going to make the cute Sera your ninth lover? I won't forgive you."

"Err~ Ringrande-sama? I'll say this many times over, it's a misunderstanding okay?"

She pulls the thin sword and comes toward me.

"Excuses are useless. I'll beat you into shape once to correct your character. Or, is that sword on your waist just a decoration?"

It is a decoration though.

She looks like she'll get mad if I say that. She's already mad even if I don't say it though.

Arisa is grinning while laughing and saying, "Go get her~?", irresponsibly fanning her. Hayuna-san looks troubled even though she doesn't really understand the situation. Nana shows her face and says, "Master, may the fortune be with you.", and goes back to the baby--must be because she trusts me.

At time like this, Karina who's usually the fastest to pick a quarrel is quiet. I've thought that she's still being meek, but she looks grim for some reason. She's muttering, "Ringrande? Cousin Rin? That's the genius magician who's become the hero's companion?" in a low voice. I prefer her usual, "It's a fight desuwa.", than her being like this.

Looks like there's some kind of discord between them, so I won't involve myself with it.

"I understand, I may be inadequate, but please instruct me well."

Can't be helped.

Might as well get her teach me how to fight. I've also been ridiculed by the demon lord, so this is just right.

While walking to the courtyard where she's standing by, I draw the fairy sword, taking the breaths of lady Ringrande, Hayuna-san and the others. I wonder who's the one that murmurs, "Beautiful."

I don't put magic power into the fairy sword, and wield it in its lightweight state.

Lady Ringrande stabs with her thin sword without any preparation. The course is to my cheek. The stabs is quick as one expects of the thin sword.

I prepare the fairy sword in low stance to brush the attack off.

Before the thin sword touch the fairy sword, she retracts and holds it, and when I'm swinging the fairy sword up, she pushes the thin sword to my defenseless chest.

Wait, lady Ringrande? That's going straight to my heart you know?

I'm thinking that she's going to stop before hitting, but she looks like she's thinking that insects that follow lady Sera around should just die, scary.

I'm pulling the short cane with my other hand which doesn't hold the fairy sword to ward off the thin sword. Of course, the short cane will be easily cut if it blocks the thin sword, but as if seeing it as a dagger since I move it in an instant, Ringrande pulls back her thin sword, and opens up some distances.

"Fumu, you're quite good. It doesn't seem like your mithril sword is only for show. You were pretending to be an amateur by having your eyes looked all over the place right. I didn't think that you had prepared your next move beforehand."

I see, my lines of sight huh. I didn't think that.

Afterwards, I learn the way to use my line of sight to feint, reading the breath, and many other techniques that aren't covered in skills.

Misunderstandings are good sometimes.

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