CH 319

“Ow  …….”

“Are you okay, Lars?”

“It’s because you’re in too much of a hurry, you know?”

“That’s not something for you to say, Basleigh-sensei! Why are you here–“

I tried to grab Makina’s hand as she held it out to me, shouting to Basleigh-sensei, who was in the theater for some reason. But then a shadow jumped on me as I clutched at my knees.

“Kuoon, Kuoon♪”

“Whoa, Ash!? Why are you here too!?”

“♪”

He wagged his little tail like it was going to burst, licked my face happily, and then rubbed his head against my chest. He was so happy that he hugged me tightly and wouldn’t let go. Sephiro saw the scene and his head was blooming.

“Ash, that’s not fair, Lars-niichan!”

“Nyaan♪!”

“Oh!? The little snow tiger!?”

“And Aina too!? …… Basleigh-sensei, what’s going on ……?”

I accept Aina’s hug, look at Basleigh-sensei, put my hands on my hips with a smug look on my face, and start talking. 

“Just as I was coming home, I saw these childrens in the garden, and I thought something had happened so I came in from the garden, but Ash-kun escaped, and I followed him here!”

“Isn’t it Basleigh-sensei’s fault! Why are you talking about it so proudly ……”

“Well, I was so tired from work that I couldn’t keep up with my thoughts ……”

“That’s not something you can say for yourself. So, how did you get in here?”

When Fath-san slaps Basleigh-sensei’s buttocks in astonishment, Basleigh-sensei jumps up and replies.

“But I’m seriously tired, you know? Well, anyway, we just ran into Kleinert-san and he brought us here. I was planning to leave at that time, though.”

“I’m sorry …… I brought them here because Ash and the little kitty looked so lonely.”

Basleigh-sensei doesn’t seem to have any ill intention, but she’s been coming home late lately, so it’s probably true that she’s tired. As far as Ash is concerned, it seems that Aina is not wrong. In the case of Aina, it may be that she was lonely as well.

Nevertheless, I’m surprised because I thought that if Nora’s [Animal Lover] was there, they would focus on that.

“I didn’t think that even [Animal Lover] won’t work. You’re too spoiled too, aren’t you?”

“Kuoon♪.”

He’s as fond of me as Sephiro, and I can’t ignore him if he’s so fond of me. 

— But as a tamer and an owner, I have to be merciless too.

“”

“Kuoon!?”

“Nyaaa!?”

“Lars-niichan, what’s wro–Ouch!?”

I drop my fist into Ash’s and the little snow tiger’s heads with all my might, then release Strength and slap Aina on the cheek.

“Kuoon ……”

“It hurts, Lars-niichan ……”

“Nyaa ……”

I kneel down to make eye contact with Aina and the other two, who are crouched down, and I continue to speak. 

“It’s not that I didn’t take you guys with me because it’s my job. There’s a lot of danger at night, and we’re dealing with a ghost ……. If it haunts Aina, it could be irreversible. Ash and the little snow tiger are still small, and if we’re unlucky, you could all die too.”

“I’ve often heard Tigre-sensei say that. ……”

“…… Yeah …….”

Makina murmured while caressing Aina’s cheek, and Aina nodded her head. 

“Just because it’s a ghost in a theater doesn’t mean you can be too optimistic. It’s not so bad when it’s outside or against normal monsters. I’ve told Aina about it, right?”

I’ve told her about the time I fought against a pack of undead and the emperor in Luitzar Kingdom a long time ago. I think Aina remembered this, and she gulped at my words.

“And Ash and Little Snow Tiger, if you don’t listen to me and escape on your own, you’ll be caught and killed, you know? You may be small, but you’re still monsters. You can’t go into town without me, the tamer. If you can’t listen to me, Ash will have to go back to the forest with Radia, and the little snow tiger will have to be returned to Tanji-san.”

“Kuoon!? …… Kuoon!”

“Funyaaa ……”

“……!”

Ash shakes his head and the little snow tiger climbs on my shoulder and licks my cheek.

“That’s why I hit you guys in the head. You’ll listen to me now, right?”

“Kuoon ……!”

When I gently stroked Ash’s back and hugged him, his tail wagged, showing his delight. I smiled and picked up Ash, and now turned my eyes to Aina.

“I can’t speak for others either, but you can’t just rush into things. I know you’re here partly because of Basleigh-sensei, but you also need to be able to say you’re leaving here, okay? I’m glad you like me, but if you’re reckless and something happens to you, Dad, Mom, and brother will be sad.”

“I’m sorry ……”

Sarge seemed to be saying that if you’re going to be under my command, you have to be strong enough to do it.

“Well, they can’t help it, Sarge. Ash is still very much a baby, and I think he’s at the age where he wants to be pampered. You can train him when he’s a little older. You’ll work out when you’re older, right?”

“Kuoon!”

Ash licks my face as I lift him up, squealing with delight, and Makina pats him on the back.

“Ahaha, it’s like he’s saying he’ll do his best. It’s so cute.”

“Nyaan!”

“Yes, yes, you’re cute, too …… but this time I was relying too much on Nora, so it’s my fault too. I’m sorry for hitting you. In the future, I’ll bring Ash and the others alone. We’ll have to train them to be patient.”

Fath-san nodded when I said that.

“I guess so. Well, I guess we’re lucky that their parents are waiting for them. They will feel the danger of being returned to the forest and reflect on their actions.”

“When the ghostly disturbances are over, let’s go hunting in the mountains. I think Radia and the others should get some exercise, too. Aina-chan too, you have to listen to Lars while you’re here, okay?”

“Okay! I’m sorry, Lars-niichan.”

When Makina rebuked me, Aina started to tear up and lower her head, so I gave Ash to Makina and held Aina in my arms. 

“You’re only five years old, so it’s okay to let yourself be pampered. But it’s not the same as being reckless, so don’t make that mistake.”

“Yes!”

As Aina cheerfully replied, Urka came up to her, laughing. It seems that while I was lecturing her, he was investigating.

“Haha, Lars is nice to everyone, but when he gets angry, he’s scary. Well, it seems that there is no sign of ghosts in the main hall. You might want to look elsewhere.”

“Here too, huh …… Let’s see, I guess it’s harder for a ghost to come out now that there are more people, but let’s go around, just in case.”

“You’re right. I’m off tomorrow, so I’ll go with you today!”

“Thank you, Basleigh-sensei. But the hamburgers will be smaller and there will be no fried chicken for a while.”

“Why!? I thought I could eat your hamburgers and fried chicken, though.”

When Basleigh-sensei collapsed on her knees with a shocked expression, Sarge shook his head in a dumbfounded tone.

“N-No way ……! Well, now that Ash and Aina have been stopped, the result is all right with me. “

Thinking that you’re still recovering quickly, we went to the other middle hall to investigate, but there was no response. We decided to go straight to the second floor.

This is where they’ll pay for their indulgence. It’s not enough to be cute, absolutely not!

Thank you for reading!

[Afterword Theater]

‘M-, My fried chicken ……’

“No, you go back to the main story ……”

Why are you in here like it’s natural ……