“Honestly, why do you have to bring me along? I’m busy too, you know!”
Gray grumbled unhappily, one hand shoved into his trouser pocket and the other scratching at his spiky hair.
His shirt had gone missing again; no one knew where.
But Gray didn’t realize that Aibo had already seen right through his tough act.
[Tch, whatever. The town isn’t absolutely safe either. I’ll let yours truly protect this little brat.]
Oh my—what a tsundere at such a young age.
Poor thing.
Aibo “timidly” lowered his head and “cautiously” shrank back, looking utterly pitiful:
“S-sorry, Big Brother Gray, for causing you trouble…”
Aibo was only six years old in this life, still a tiny two-head-tall toddler, while Gray and Cana already looked like big ten-year-old kids.
So calling him “big brother” carried not the slightest psychological burden.
As for face?
What’s that?
Can you eat it?
“Gray!!”
“Huh? No—I, I never said I wouldn’t help!”
Gray looked reluctant on the surface, but inside he was grinning:
[Heh, this kid called me big bro? Feels pretty good~]
Aibo felt pleased, the corner of his mouth curling up slightly.
He raised his head and smiled “sweetly”:
“Thank you, big brother and big sister. You’re both such good people~”
[A-Angel?!] x2
Cana and Gray were caught off guard and utterly charmed by his cuteness, a faint blush rising on their faces.
Aibo understood.
These past few days, even he had occasionally been bewitched by the pink-haired little brat he saw in the mirror.
Aibo knew very well just how cute he was.
This innate power—he couldn’t let it go to waste!
“Big sister Cana, is everyone in the guild a mage? Does everyone know really powerful magic?”
“Of course! Fairy Tail is the strongest wizard guild in the Fiore Kingdom!”
“Ahem, that’s right. I traveled all the way from the far-off Northern Continent of Isban to join a powerful guild. I’m pretty damn strong!”
Aibo’s eyes sparkled:
“Really?! Then what magic do you both know, big brother and big sister?”
Receiving his little bro’s “admiring” gaze, Gray felt a delicious rush, like gulping ice water in summer.
He immediately raised his hand, and a huge, beautiful snowflake appeared in his palm.
He held his head high and puffed out his chest:
“I’m an Ice-Make wizard. It’s magic that gives shape to ice—I can use ice to create all kinds of forms. It’s the strongest magic!”
Cana also pulled out a few cards, unwilling to be outdone:
“I study Card Magic. With enough practice, it can make a wizard an all-around mage. Whether it’s lighting fires or making ice, calling thunder or bringing rain—even prophecy and divination are possible!”
“Whoa! So amazing~”
Aibo gave them all the validation they could want, blinking his big eyes:
“Big brother, big sister, can I learn your magic too? Could you teach me?”
“Hmph, Ice-Make magic is pretty hard to learn~ But since you called me big brother, I guess I could give you some pointers if you want to learn.”
“That’s easy! Actually, the guild library has tons of magic books. I taught myself Card Magic just by reading.”
“I see~”
Aibo fell into thought.
So it sounded like this world wasn’t very strict about controlling magical knowledge?
Or was it just Fairy Tail?
Then it seemed learning other magic later on wouldn’t be too difficult.
Aibo chatted with the two older kids for a while longer.
Neither of them had much guile, and he easily coaxed all sorts of information out of them.
His understanding of this world, this country, this town, and this guild gradually took shape, and his plans for what came next grew clearer—
First, he needed to establish a foothold in this world.
Aibo needed a stable way to make money.
Wizards could earn money by completing various requests, but the work gave him the feeling of being a Sanhe day laborer—not very stable.
It was fine as a side gig, at best.
Next was learning magic and training to get stronger.
In any world, personal strength was fundamental.
Since this was a world of mages, he’d set a small goal first: become the strongest wizard in this country.
Mm, and at the same time, he needed to study his own cheat ability.
Aibo wasn’t a rigid person—if he had a shortcut at hand, he naturally had to make good use of it.
In Aibo’s view, a cheat was just another kind of extraordinary talent.
The world would never lack geniuses—so why couldn’t this genius be him?
Lastly… he should find some fun in life.
Playing a kid was pretty entertaining, but getting through life required something to look forward to…
Oh right, he also had to avenge the old village chief who had adopted him.
Once he had the power, he’d find that Diagonal Cult and kill them all.
1.
Make money.
2.
Get stronger.
3.
Do research.
4.
Have fun.
5.
Take revenge.
Aibo quickly finalized his first career plan for this other world.
When he thought seriously, the noise in his head grew fainter, as if even time sped up a little.
The three little brats wandered around Magnolia Town a few times and soon finished buying everything they needed.
On the way back, Cana—who had been secretly observing for half a day—finally finished, after much fidgeting, rolling up the map of Yan.
Holding Aibo’s little hand, she pretended to ask casually:
“Um, little Aibo… big sister wants to ask… what’s your relationship with Gildarts? Why did you come back with him?”
Gray also turned his gaze over.
He was quite interested in the guild’s strongest wizard.
Aibo snapped back to attention and blinked:
“Uncle Gildarts is my savior. A few days ago, a bunch of bad people rushed into the village and killed a lot of people. Uncle Gildarts arrived just in time and saved me.”
“Bad people?! Then… your parents?”
“I’ve never met my parents. I lived with Grandpa from a young age, but those bad people… they got Grandpa too…”
“Ah! I’m sorry!”
Cana waved her hands frantically, and her gaze toward Aibo softened with pity.
[I shouldn’t have brought it up!]
“It’s okay. Uncle Gildarts saved me and dealt with all those bad people. I’m very grateful to him. It’s just… I can’t go back to the village anymore.”
“It’s all in the past, Aibo. From now on, the guild is your home! We’re all your family!”
Cana hugged Aibo tightly.
She no longer cared much about Aibo’s relationship with Gildarts—she’d decided to treat Aibo as her own little brother from now on.
“Hmph, and you’ve got me, too! Don’t worry, little bro. From now on, I’ve got your back. Nobody’s gonna bully you!”
Gray patted his bare chest with righteous conviction.
He saw a bit of himself in Aibo.
“Really? Thank you~~”
What good kids.
Aibo could hear the care and sincerity in their thoughts.
Truthfully, before his memories of transmigration had awakened, he’d lived in a daze.
His memories of life in the village had already grown blurry—he only felt some attachment to the old village chief who had adopted him.
But he couldn’t exactly say he’d suffered all that much.
Though he had good reason to be wary of an unknown world and unfamiliar surroundings, approaching the two children with ulterior motives… still made Aibo feel somewhat ashamed.
Sigh.
What a filthy adult.
“Everyone in the guild is so nice. The first time I saw Uncle Gildarts, it was like seeing a father! Gray and Cana are like my big brother and big sister. I like everyone.”
Aibo said this with a squinty smile.
[A-Angel!] x2