Chapter 8

Even though a monster appeared, if I finish the development work early and return home while the sun is still high, a bit of a guilty feeling arises. However, I have to report to Mother, so I return home honestly.

It seems that the news of the monster hasn't spread yet, but it's better to explain the facts before rumors start to circulate.

As I try to open the door when I arrive home, I feel a cute magical presence approaching from the other side, so I wait a moment, and as expected, the door opens.

"Of course, Nii-tan!! Welcome back!"

"Thanks, Alice. Were you good?"

"Yeah, Alice is always good."

When I greet Alice, who clings to my waist, she raises her hands in a victory pose and looks up at me.

It's a signal for me to pick her up.

As I pick up Alice as she wishes, I see Mother's figure approaching.

"What's wrong, Alice? Did someone come?—Oh, Luka, what's wrong?"

Mother looks a bit surprised and asks if everything is okay with my work.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But I have something to talk about, so let's go inside, Mother. We need to tell Renael too."

"Right, you're right. Sorry, I got a bit flustered."

On the way to the living room, Alice touches my cheeks, saying, "Nii-tan, sticky."

"Ah, sorry, Alice. I sweated a lot."

I decide to wash my face and hands, but Alice doesn't want to let go, so I persuade her and hand her over to Mother.

"Sorry, Alice. I'll be right back, so wait with Mother."

"...Okay."

I pat Alice, who still looks unsatisfied, and head to the bathroom.

"Ah, Luka. Renael is in the bath right now..."

"Ah, I see. Got it, Mother."

The bath I made has good heat retention, and even though it's warm, it's better to heat it up a bit.

Since Renael uses it every day, I always fill it with hot water in the morning. The flow is that Renael takes a bath after we use the water for other chores.

"Hey, Luka?"

"I'll be right back, Mother."

Mother says something behind me, but I also want to freshen up, so I decide to listen later and enter the bathroom.

Every time I enter the bathroom, I think that the changing room and bath area are perfectly designed, even though I made them myself.

"Sonia, is something wrong?"

I hear Renael's voice from the other side of the wooden door in the bath.

"No, it's me, Luka."

"Huh, L, Luka? Why are you in the bath in the middle of the day?"

"Ah, I just wanted to wash my face and warm up the bath a bit, so I'll just get in for a moment."

"Wh-what?!"

Renael's voice sounds flustered, but I'm getting a bit tired of the conversation. I want to wash up quickly and return to the living room.

"The water is a bit cool. I'll warm it up, so let me know if it gets too hot."

I put my hand in the bathtub, and it's indeed cool. I adjust the temperature by interfering with the water. I then take some water in a bucket and wash my face.

I also rinse my mouth and spit it out, letting the water flow away.

"Sorry for interrupting. I'd like to tell you to take your time, but there's something I need to explain, so please get out soon."

"Ah, you even rinsed your mouth..."

Renael's face is bright red, so I wonder if the water was too hot, but she shakes her head.

"It's fine... just get out quickly..."

Renael whispers in a voice like a mosquito. I can hear her clearly, so I simply say I understand and return to the living room.

◇◇◇◇

As soon as I return to the living room, Alice runs over, and I pick her up.

"Nii-tan, how are you, Alice? Not sticky anymore, right?"

"Nope, all smooth."

While holding Alice, I create a glass of cold water. As I drink, Alice also wants some, so I warm it up a bit and let her drink. She always says, "Nii-tan's water is the best," which makes me happy.

"Sorry, Mother. What did you want to say?"

"You said Renael was in the bath, right? Why did you go to the bath?"

"Uh, to wash my face? Oh, I warmed it up for her."

"You, really... Remember, Renael is a girl."

"Yeah, I know that."

I don't understand what Mother is saying. I've known Renael is a girl from the beginning.

"Ugh... Never mind. Just apologize to Renael."

"Okay, even though I don't understand."

I guess I did something wrong if Mother says so. Just apologizing should be fine.

Just as we were talking, Renael comes in with a thin voice, "I'm out~" Why is she using polite language?

She turns bright red when she sees me.

"Sorry, Renael. I realized it when Mother said something."

I didn't really realize anything, but I apologize as instructed.

"Y-Yeah, next time, let me prepare mentally..."

"Okay, got it."

I feel like there's some misunderstanding, but it doesn't matter. I need to talk about today's events, so I create a glass of cold water and hand it to Renael, asking her to sit down.

"Thanks... Ah, it's cold and delicious."

Once Renael calms down, I start talking.

I explain that everyone is safe and uninjured, then tell them about the monster.

When I mention that five Forest Wolves appeared, Mother is surprised. She knows that while they're not strong individually, they can be troublesome in a pack.

Alice and Renael don't know what Forest Wolves are, but I understand the danger of wolves.

While I was calling the priest, the work was almost finished, and Father made the final decision, which made Alice happy, saying, "Daddy is strong."

I explain that I returned quickly because a monster appeared, and Father told me to come back and explain the situation to Mother and the others.

"Don't worry, Renael. Roger is fine and uninjured."

"Thanks. That's why you came back quickly."

I didn't know, but around that time, Father had been knocked out and was receiving healing magic from the priest.

After the explanation, we decided to play, but Alice, who I was holding, had fallen asleep quietly. So, we all decided to take a nap.

I thought Alice would be between Mother and me, but Mother said, "Luka, I want you to sleep with me sometimes," so we arranged ourselves as Renael, Alice, me, and Mother for the nap.

As I close my eyes, I feel tired from today's events and quickly fall asleep.

At night, Alice sleeps with Mother and Father.

Come to think of it, when did I start sleeping alone?