CH 115

Visiting a grave

***---***

After finishing cleaning the back of the boarding house, I decided to show up at the Investigation Headquarters.

Sudou-san told me that I didn't have to show up because it was Sunday, but I wanted to ask him something, so I decided to go see him.

I heard that the Investigation Headquarters for major cases doesn't have days off, but the summons case is a special situation, and they can't even conduct a substantial investigation, so they are given days off on a rotating basis.

Sudou-san wasn't there at the Investigation Headquarters, but Morita-san was among the investigators.

In order not to surprise everyone, I came out and called out to them fro ma distance.

"Hello, Morita-san, are you on duty today?"

"Oh, Kokubu-kun, that's right, well, I can get a day off on another day. Rather than that, didn't Sudou-san tell you that you don't have to show up because it's Sunday?"

Morita-san stopped his paperwork and greeted me with a smile.

"Yes, that's what I was told yesterday, but I have a favor to ask ..."

"Hahaa, did the girls ask you to do some shopping again?"

"No, it's not like that ... Morita-san, could you lend me some money?"

"I don't mind if it's just pocket money, but what are you going to use it for?"

"Um ... I want to buy flowers and incense sticks ..."

Upon hearing my words, Morita-san's smiling expression tightened.

"Okay, I'll go with you."

"Eh, Morita-san too?"

"We can't say that we are not responsible for your mother's death."

I didn't expect Morita-san's offer, so I couldn't make a quick decision, so after thinking about it for a while, I decided to decline.

"Excuse me, Morita-san, I haven't been able to fully sort out my feelings yet, so if possible, I'd like to go alone today ..."

"I see ... that's right. Then, will you accept this as flower money from us? I'm sorry I didn't put it in the bag ..."

"No, that's ..."

"I beg you, please accept it."

Not only Morita-san, but also the other investigators looked at me and nodded.

"Understood. Thank you very much."

I bowed to everyone and received a 10,000 Yen note.

From the Investigation Headquarters, I moved through the shadows again.

I headed for the shopping district near Shimo-Akatsuka Station on the Toubu-Toujou Line.

I went out in a back alley a little away from the shopping street and bought incense sticks and a disposable lighter at the drugstore, and flowers for the offering at the flower shop.

The grave of the Kokubu Family was built by my father when my grandmother passed away, and it was located in the cemetary near the Akatsuka Botanical Garden.

It was about a 20 minute walk from the shopping street in front of the station.

I thought about moving in the shadows, but I decided to walk around.

The sound of trains, the sound of cars, the music reverberating in the shopping district, the illuminated signboards ... The sights that were taken for granted just a while ago now looked very fresh.

[ The world where Kent-sama lived is quite lively. ]

[ Yeah, but places like Ikebukuro and Shibuya are bustling with more people. ]

[ There are many tall buildings, and the technology is quite advanced. ]

[ I agree. Since there is no magic, the technology of machines, crafts, and construction has advanced. ]

It felt fresh to even I, who used to live there, so for Reinhardt, who was watching from the shadows, it must have been a strange sight.

After walking along the bus street, going down the slope, up the slope, and turning left on the way down again, I saw the cemetary.

I borrowed a bucket, a ladle, and a rag from the administration building, climbed the stairs, and stood in front of the grave.

It was a small grave with a tombstone inscribed with Kokobu Family above the place for the bones.

[ Kent-sama ... ]

[ Yeah, it's okay. I cried a lot at Manon's house ... ]

I sprinkled water on the tombstone with the ladle, wiped it with the rag to remove the dirt, filled the flower stand with water and offered the flowers I had bought.

I'd never arranged flowers before, so I couldn't get the balance right.

[ Kent-sama ... ]

[ Yeah, I'm fine. ]

[ No, it's not like that ... It looks like you're being watched for some reason. ]

[ Where is it from? ]

[ It looks like they're peeking through a black tube from the glass-enclosed building over there. ]

The administration building is made of glass, and you can see the cemetary from the rest space.

When I looked sideways while rinsing the rag, it looked like a person holding a camera and another person was taking notes.

Maybe ... I thought, but it seems that the media was staked out.

[ Does it feel like they'll come over here? ]

[ For now, it seems that they are only observing. ]

Apparently, they don't plan to come in contact until I finish my visit.

In order to return the borrowed bucket, I would have to go to the entrance of the administration building, and the stairs I came up were right next to the administration building.

If they watch from over there, they probably don't have to worry about me escaping.

But, if they don't mind, I'll go ahead and visit at my leisure.

I lit an incense stick with the lighter, crouched down in front of the tombstone and put my hands together.

"Grandma, Mom, I'm home. I'm back to Japan safely ..."

I told them about the events from the day I was summoned to the present day while keeping my hands together.

"Mom, Dad didn't feel any affection for me ... It was written in the letter I received yesterday. To be honest, it was quite a shock, but I was strangely convinced.

I talked about the contents of my father's letter, how I felt uneasy about being a proper father, how many people supported me in Volzard, and ... I spoke about the questions I had in my heart. Aah, just as I thought ... I feel it's like that."

"Hey ... Mom, why did you leave me behind? Did Mom also not feel any love for me, either?"

When I became aware of it, tears were running down my cheeks.

The tears were not just sadness, but a mixture of frustration and anger.

The letter from my father was a shock, but I understood what he was thinking and what he thought of me, so I was able to make sense of it.

However, I can only imagine how my mother felt since she passed away without leaving her will.

But, no matter how much I tried to imagine her, it was only my imagination, and the opportunity to know my mother's true feelings for me was lost forever.

"More ... I should have spoken to you sooner."

I felt like I was reminded once again that even if it's a blood related family, if you don't put it into words, you can't express your feelings.

"Mom, I decided to live with my new family in Volzard. That's why ... please watch over me so that I can properly convey my feelings so that I won't fail next time."

I put my hands together again and prayed for my mother to go to heaven.

I opened my closed eyes and stared at the tombstone.

[ Reinhardt, are there people around? ]

[ No, there's no one but those watching you. ]

Then, I gave instructions to Mart and the others.

"Mart, Mirt, Murt, when I give the signal, from behind the people who are watching me, bark as loud as you can without showing yourselves."

"Wafu, I understand, Goshujin-sama."

I stood up with the bucket in my hand, and when I turned my gaze, it met with the two people who seemed to be media.

Then, when I tapped the ground with my toes and signaled ... Mart and the others surprised them when they barked.

Aiming for that moment, I crouched between the tombstones and dived into the world of shadows.

"Where's the dog?"

"Hey, Kokubu Kento isn't here!"

"What, where did hey go? Did you notice him?"

"Think about it later, let's chase after him!"

From the shadow world, I watched the man with the camera and the man with the notepad in his hand run noisily down the stairs. They split into two groups and ran in opposite directions.

Will the photos taken today be published in a weekly magazine?

If possible, I'd like you to choose and use the ones that make me look like a good-looking guy.

I returned the bucket and the rag and returned to Volzard.

Amanda-san's shop was about to open for the evening.

"I'm back."

When I called out from the back door, Meisa-chan came running with tremendous force.

"Kent, Mofumofu! Show me the big Mofumofu!"

"Yeah, yeah ... It's impossible if it's not outside."

"Yeah, hurry up, hey, hurry up!"

She must have heard from Amanda-san or Meline-san.

Feeling impatient, Meisa-chan continues stomping her feet.

"Nero, come out for a minute."

"Nyaa, you called me, Goshujin-sama."

When Nero slowly emerged from the shield of darkness, Meisa-chan, who had been stomping her feet, froze with her eyes wide open.

"This is Meisa-chan, Amanda-san's daughter."

"Nice to meet you, Nero nya."

"H, huge ..."

Meisa-chan was clinging to my waist, half hidden behind my back, staring at Nero.

She heard it was big, but I guess she didn't think it was this big.

After all, it's big enough to swallow Meisa-chan whole.

"Meisa-chan, you can touch Nero, but you can't touch its tail all of a sudden."

"Tail ...? Fluffyyy, thick tail ..."

Then, Nero fluttered its thick tail around me and Meisa-chan.

"Fuaaaa ... Fluffy ..."

Meisa-chan's expression was melting due to Nero's fur, but I think mine's melting too, because I'm wrapped up together.

Nero's big face approached us, and when I stroked the back of Nero's large ears, it began to purr noisily in a good mood.

"Kent ... I want to sleep with Nero ..."

"Hmm ... There's no room inside for Nero ..."

"Uuh ... I want to sleep with it ..."

"Hmm ... Then, how about we pick a nice day and go on a picnic during the holidays at the beginning of the year? If we take a nap outside, Nero can stay with us."

"Picnic! Go, absolutely go! It's a promise."

"Yes, yes, shall we invite Amanda-san, Meline-san, Yuika, Manon, and Beatrice?"

"Yeah, I'm going to ask Mom to make us a bento!"

"Of course, Mart and the others will be with us."

"Wafu!"

If I forget to appeal, it looks like they're going to be jealous again.

By the time Nero returned to the shadows and we returned to the boarding house, evening hours had already begun.

"Then, I need to help, so Kent should stay quiet on the second floor."

"Yes, yes, I'll be quiet, so please let me know when it's time for dinner."

I thought of going upstairs with Meisa-chan chasing me away, but I was stopped by a customer's story.

"Hey, did you see it? The Gigawolf."

"What on earth, the alarm didn't ring."

"Oh, no. The Gigawolf was pulling a carriage."

"Huh? Then it's not a carriage, it's a Gigawolf car, isn't it?"

"Idiot, such a meaning ... how do get that? No, it's not like that, it's a tamed Gigawolf."

"Yeah, then it's the work of the 'Monster User', right?"

"It's different. Somehow, it was a young woman holding the reins."

Meisa-chan looked at me as if she wanted to say something, so I shook my head with my hands raised, folded my arms and tilted my head.

Then, a man entered the shop.

"Sorry, I'm really sorry. I'm not a customer, I'm a messenger from the guild. Amanda-san! To your lodger ..."

"Yes, that's me, but what is it?"

"Oh, are you Kent? Donovan-san wanted me to tell you to show up tomorrow morning when the crowds are over. The story is that the Guild Master from the Headquarters has come."

"Understood, please don't forget to tell him that I'll visit him."

"Righto!"

When the messenger man left the store, Meisa-chan looked at me with a worried look on her face.

"Kent, are you doing dangerous work again?"

"No, I think they just want to hear about the maximum outbreak."

"Really?"

"Really, really. However, the Guild Master at Headquarters is over 250 years old ..."

"Two hundred and fifty years old ... are they an elf?"

"Eh, there are elves?"

"I don't know ... they appear in fairy tales ..."

"Do elves live that long?"

"They live for more than five hundred years ..."

It seems that elves are legendary creatures, but there are Maou-like ones here, so it wouldn't be strange if they were there.

"Meisa, if you don't want to help me, learn math from Kent on the second floor ..."

"Help! Kent is in the way, so go upstairs!"

"Yes, yes, I understand."

I returned to my room on the second floor as Meisa-chan, who hates arithmetic, drove me away.

"Reinhardt, are there elves?"

[ The elves are said to live in deep forests on a different continent from here. ]

"Then, do they actually exist?"

[ No ... I've never actually seen one, and I've never met anyone who said they did. ]

"Are they a fictitious existence?"

[ No, there are stories of people who met elves in old lore ... ]

Even in Reinhardt's time, elves were legendary.

[ Kent-sama, aren't you more interested in the Gigawolf story? ]

"That's right. Is it possible to tame a Gigawolf?"

[ Since you have a Storm Cat, you should be know, but I have never heard of someone who has a Gigawolf. ]

"I heard that they were pulling a carriage, so maybe ..."

[ There is a high possibility that they are companions of the Guild Master from Headquarters. ]

Since they are the Guild Master of the Headquarters that oversees all the guilds that exist in Landshelt, naturally the escorts on the road will be strict.

A Tamer, a high rank adventurer, must have driven the carriage while controlling the Gigawolf.

If a Gigawolf was there, Goblins wouldn't approach, so it would be an effective escort method.

"If they can tame a Gigawolf, did they tame other monsters as well?"

[ There is a high possibility of that. Even if you try to tame something, no one will suddenly try it with a Gigawolf. ]

"Then, did they start with Goblins and Kobolds and gradually move on to larger monsters?"

[ No, I hear they start with smaller monsters, but I don't know how they are tamed. ]

Tamers who use monsters use special techniques, and it is said that a tradition that is not leaked to the outside world is being passed down from master to disciple.

[ Since it was said that the one who was holding the reins was a young woman, perhaps that woman's master was accompanying her. ]

"I see ..."

"Goshujin-sama, the Gigawolf is at the guild's training ground."

Murt poked its head out and told me.

Perhaps, after hearing about the Gigawolf, Reinhardt instructed them to search for it.

"Thank you Murt, I'm sorry, but could I ask you to stay in this room? I'd like to check on the Gigawolf for a bit, so please let me know when Meisa-chan calls for me."

"Leave it to me, Goshujin-sama."

I stroked Murt who came out into the room, and went to the guild by hiding in the shadows so that we could replace each other.

There was a crowd of people at the training ground, and they were watching the Gigawolf from afar.

On the other hand, the Gigawolf was lying under the eaves of the warehouse, and a young woman was brushing it.

She seemed to be two or three years older than me, had dark purple hair, was about 170 centimeters tall, and had a slender figure.

When I went closer to inspect them, she seemed to know about the gazes around her while she was brushing the Gigawolf, and her well-groomed face had a proud expression on it.

"Amazing ... It's the first time I've seen a living Gigawolf."

"Is that okay? I feel like she's going to die just by it being playful."

"Idiot, it's completely tamed, otherwise she couldn't do that."

I heard words of surprise and awe from the people who were keeping their distance.

It's not just my imagination that every time I hear that, the Tamer-like woman's face seems to start collapsing into a grin.

"Hey, compared to our 'Monster User', which do you think is superior?"

"That's right, Volzard's 'Monster User' is definitely superior."

The hand that had been brushing stopped, and the woman looked back with a grim expression.

"Just a minute, what did you mean just now? Superior to me? Volzard's 'Monster User'? Don't be ridiculous. Please remember well, the second name of 'Monster User' is for this me, Ruija-sama."

When Ruija crossed her arms and stood diagonally while puffing out her chest with her slender chin sticking out, the Gigawolf, that had risen to its feet, walked towards them with a low growl, and the people who were watching from afar fled into the guild in a race to get inside first.

[ Kent-sama, it looks like this one is going to be troublesome. ]

"Yeah, I think so too ..."

For some reason, I felt exhausted thinking of going to the guild tomorrow morning.