“Um… what should we do?”

Rei-kun is now completely asleep, clinging to me, and I’m half-buried in the sofa at an awkward angle, struggling to breathe.

Zaza-san hesitated, raising and lowering his hands, wondering whether to pick Rei-kun up, but worried that doing so would wake him.

“Well, even with this size of body, he’s sturdy and strong, so it’s fine.
Let’s leave him like this until his sleep gets deeper.
…Zaza-san, please sit too.”

Still hesitant, Zaza-san returned to his chair and curled himself up so much his head nearly fit between his knees, like someone about to faint.

“…This really isn’t okay.
Does summoning really have no age conditions at all?”

I know there’s nothing to be done by saying this to Zaza-san.
Between the two of us, the one drowning in guilt is obviously him.
After all, he’s on the side that summoned us.

“We don’t even know if there are summoning conditions.
However, all previous heroes were at least adults by this world’s standards.
…And I’ve heard they were also adults in your world.”

Ah.
A hundred and fifty years ago, adulthood here might well have been around thirteen.
Even now, there are countries at war with child soldiers.

“In fact, the king was quite shaken about you too, Kazuha-san.
Of course, so were we.”

“You thought I was about ten, right?
Is that why you allowed me not to fight?”

“No.
As we said from the beginning, we follow the heroes’ wishes.
But even if you had wanted to fight, we would have stopped you.
You only declined first.
There was no way we could say we summoned you on our own, then turn around and say this wasn’t what we intended or that it didn’t fit our plans…”

“Yeah.”

Ahhhh.
Knowing that apologies are useless is exactly why this isn’t something you should direct at someone who can’t even apologize.
This isn’t Zaza-san’s fault.

“…I’m sorry.
That was a harsh way to put it.”

“No.
Being cursed at would be only natural.
The king was relieved that you declined before we had to struggle over how to tell you.
—And I should have postponed things myself.”

I keep gently combing my fingers through Rei-kun’s hair.

“…So the immediate issue is monster hunting.”

“We won’t take him.
I’ll tell the king, but I’m certain he’ll make the same decision.”

“I agree, but he said not to tell anyone his age.”

“Even so.”

“Well, yeah…
Even in this world, you don’t take children hunting before thirteen, right?”

“Yes.
Of course, combat training starts much younger.
Especially in regions far from the capital, monsters appear often, so it’s necessary for self-defense.
But real hunting begins at thirteen.
Ten is far too young to be accustomed to taking lives.”

“So adulthood is at thirteen?”

“They’re still treated as fledglings, of course.”

“I see…”

That tracks.
In Japan too, just over a hundred years ago, fifteen might have been considered adult.
There were eras where becoming labor was enough.
Warlords making their first battle appearance in their early teens and all that.

But we’re modern Japanese.
Instinctively, it’s unacceptable.
—And yet, this child.

“Rei-kun doesn’t cry out loud.”

“…No.”

“A ten-year-old child, separated from their parents, would they cry like this?”

“……”

Zaza-san raised one eyebrow, unsure what I meant.

“A child this age shouldn’t cry like that.
Right?”

Magic in this world isn’t as all-powerful as I dreamed.

You can’t change the weather.
You can’t prevent natural disasters.
There’s no resurrection.
Severed arms don’t reattach.

But everyone can use a little magic.
Or rather, they manipulate things with the magical power they possess.
Lantern flames are adjusted with magic.
Water is drawn from pipes to faucets with magic.
Even commoners with little magical power can manage it, to the point that it’s embedded in daily life.

You can get by without it, but having it makes things a little easier.
That kind of thing.

Of course, the more magical power you have, the more you can do.
Enough to become a knight or a priest.
But most people don’t have that much, so “a little easier” is the level most live at.

And today again, I’m peeling potatoes.
Twice as many as usual.

Yesterday’s potato salad was apparently a huge hit as the staff meal, so it made it onto today’s dining hall menu.
Since it’s buffet-style, it keeps getting refilled and emptied, refilled and emptied.
And I’m on potato-peeling duty.

Making mayonnaise does take a bit of skill and practice, you know, but seeing it get whipped effortlessly with magic felt a little unfair.
I was hoping to show off a bit, but everyone picked it up instantly.
No separation, no electric hand mixer required.
Magic is amazing.
That’s not just “a little easier”…

I remember long ago, my arms aching as I tried, only for the egg and oil to separate.
Or my excited daughter clinging to me, causing me to dump the oil in all at once and ruin it.
Or my son throwing a tantrum for attention while it separated again.
By the time I got fast at it, I realized store-bought tasted better for the effort involved.

“Thank you for the meal!
Kazuha-chan!”

I look up to see Rei-kun smiling with his head poked through the return counter.

Last night, Zaza-san carried Rei-kun back to his room, and I ended up sleeping beside him.
The cuteness of Rei-kun’s smile when he woke up.
Am I a newlywed or what.

“You ate lunch here?”

“Yeah.
I came with Zaza-san… oops.”

He leaned back to show Zaza-san behind him and bumped his head on the ceiling again.

“Training again after this?”

“Nope.
This afternoon is letters.”

I already finished mine in the morning.
Since I study while everyone else trains, I’m a bit ahead.

“I see.
Then come back later once you’re done.
I’ll make you a snack.”

“A snack!
What kind!?”

“Hm, do you like pudding?”

“Pudding!
I want one with whipped cream on top!”

So, pudding à la mode, then.
Which means more mixing…

I still haven’t really gotten used to using magic.
I actually tried to mix mayonnaise with magic and ended up splattering it everywhere.
Maybe because it’s done magically, a whisk feels oddly hard to use.
I miss my electric hand mixer.

“Pudding?”

Zaza-san tilts his head thoughtfully.

“Yeah.
It’s cold and smooth and really good.”

Why is Rei-kun making a smug face.

Seriously, when you look at me like that, I have no choice but to try my best.

“Wow, this brings back memories.
Kazuha-chan, you really can make anything.”

Yukihiro-san eats half the pudding in one bite.
Right?
Steamed pudding turns out smooth and delicate.
The pudding à la mode, piled with fruit and whipped cream, feels like an old department store diner dessert.

Under the guise of teaching the recipe, I had the kitchen staff help with mixing, heat control, and making ice to chill it.
This pudding will probably be served in the dining hall tonight as dessert.

The other heroes, done with their studies, followed Rei-kun into the dining hall, so making a lot with the kitchen was perfect timing.

“Can you really get all the ingredients?
Like gelatin?”

Ayame-san savors green flesh that tastes like melon with a bit of cream.

“They’re a little different, but yes.
This pudding doesn’t use gelatin, but there are equivalents for most ingredients and seasonings.”

Since I started going in and out of the kitchen, I’ve tasted and learned about everything from the spice shelves to the storage rooms.
Some things, like ketchup and mayonnaise, have to be made, but the bases or similar items exist.

Shota-kun eats silently.
I see.
You’re the type who eats good food without talking.
You nod occasionally.

Rei-kun is all smiles.
He keeps glancing between Zaza-san and me, happily savoring his pudding.

A child’s happy eating face brings an indescribable sense of peace, but I never expected it to work on someone who looks almost thirty.
Zaza-san, relaxing his thin face, is probably making the same expression I am.

“…Kazuha-chan and Rei-san seem close.”

For some reason, Shota-kun looks hesitant, and Rei-kun nods without stopping his spoon.

“Yes.
We’re close.”

Rei-kun still uses polite speech with the other heroes.
I used to think he was matching me because I looked the youngest, but now I realize it was because everyone was older than him and he was trying to act like an adult.
…Though he has cream on his mouth right now.

“…This morning, I saw Kazuha-chan coming out of Rei-san’s room.
Did you stay over?”

Oh.
He saw us.

Yukihiro-san let out a dumb “Huh?” and Ayame-san frowned.

“Yes.”

Rei-kun admitted it casually, while debating whether to peel his grapes.
The skin’s soft, you can eat it.
Ah, he just admitted it outright.
Well, since we were seen, there’s no point lying.
And honestly, I don’t feel like I need to lie at all.
But to everyone except me and Zaza-san, Rei-kun looks like a fully grown adult man, and the oldest one at that.

“Kazuha-chan, you look small, but you’re a girl, so… that kind of thing might not be very appropriate.”

Shota-kun blushed slightly and looked away.

“N-no, no, no, nothing like that.
From Rei-san’s perspective, the age gap would make me old enough to be his parent.”

“…Gross.”

Yukihiro-san stiffened, and Ayame-san made her disgust very clear.

Rei-kun looked up from his pudding, confused.
Hey, Ayame-san, that face is too harsh.
You jumped there way too fast.
There’s no way Rei-kun would even understand.
See, now he’s starting to look scared.

“I!
I got a little scared last night!
And then I went to Rei-san’s room!
And then I fell asleep!”

“…Scared of what?”

Yukihiro-san, that’s a tough question.

I scramble to expand my improvised excuse.
What did kids used to be afraid of again?

“Um, well…
It felt like something was outside?”

It’s hard to explain.
The embarrassment of deliberately acting out of character.
The internal screaming of, “Did I really just say ‘I’m scared’ at my age?”

Even if my current appearance makes it not strange, that’s beside the point.
Since coming here, I haven’t acted childish myself, even without stating my age.
I didn’t want to lie, but explaining was hard, so I tried to walk a careful line.

And now my face is hot.
This is embarrassing.
More embarrassing than I expected.
Why am I fidgeting like this.
Zaza-san’s awkward expression only makes it worse.
Stop that.

“Ahaha, Kazuha-chan, even though you seem so reliable, you still have cute sides.”

Seriously, flashy guy, stop it.

“What kind of thing?”

Ayame-san, are you scared of something like this?
Don’t glare at me.

“G-ghosts, maybe?”

“Huh?”

Hey, Rei-kun, don’t get scared there!

“Even in this world, there aren’t ghosts.
It’s fine, Kazuha-chan.”

“Ghosts?
You mean spirits?
They exist.”

““““What.””””

Zaza-san overlapped Shota-kun with a look that said, what are you talking about.
No, what are you talking about.

“Old buildings usually have them.
I can’t see them myself, though.
The one in this castle, apparently, has dark purple hair covering her face, crawls around in a tattered dress.
That’s what people who can see say.”

““““That’s terrifying.””””

Wait, it’s a magic world.
Are there no barriers or exorcisms?

“…?
She doesn’t do anything bad.
Oh, but you know those cookies and little cups of milk you see in the hallways?
Those are for the ghost, so please don’t touch them.”

A house spirit?
Is it a house spirit?

I can’t believe it.
This world is kind even to spirits.

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