~Unknown Girl POV~
For the girl, however…
Her eyes sharpened for the briefest instant.
<Oh…?>
There was magic inside the child.
Quite a bit of it too.
No…
More than quite a bit.
The reserve resting inside his little body was unusually deep for someone his age.
<He’s fairly talented, isn’t he?
That’s a very impressive magical reserve…>
Her thoughts threatened to wander farther.
Then Soutarou sat beside her, took a small bite of his red bean taiyaki, and looked up at her with large hazel-golden eyes.
Whatever professional suspicion had started forming inside her mind quietly died.
<Cute…>
~Soutarou POV~
The girl took a bite from the taiyaki.
Her shoulders relaxed almost immediately.
Soutarou continued nibbling in silence.
He didn’t ask why she was upset…
He didn’t stare at her luggage…
He simply sat there and eventually, the girl sighed and muttered, “It’s been a very difficult month.”
Soutarou glanced at her and that was all the invitation she needed as she continued, staring miserably at the half-eaten taiyaki in her hands, “I was given a job…
A very important job…
Or at least everyone said it was important…”
Soutarou nodded solemnly as the woman continued to mutter, “But they didn’t tell me where I was supposed to stay.”
Another bite as she said with a mouthful,”They didn’t even explain how long it would take.”
Another bite and she added, “They barely told me where I was supposed to go…!”
Soutarou continued listening as she continued ranting, “And every time I ask for clearer instructions, they tell me to use my initiative.”
Her eye twitched and indignantly she asked to no one, “What does that even mean?”
Soutarou considered it and commented, “It means they don’t know either.”
The girl turned toward him in surprise before she then slowly nodded and agreed, “Yes.”
Her voice then became increasingly aggrieved, “That’s exactly what it means.”
The next several minutes consisted of the blonde girl releasing every complaint she had apparently been storing for weeks…
Which summed up to…
Her employers were vague…
Her assignment was long…
Her expenses were inconsistent…
The people she’d been sent to deal with never stayed where they were supposed to be…
Public transportation was confusing…
She’d accidentally boarded the wrong train twice…
One hotel had refused to accept her identification…
Another had charged far more than she’d expected…
Or how she’d slept in a waiting room the previous night because she arrived too late to find anywhere affordable.
And now she’d reached Kuoh with no permanent address, very little local knowledge, and absolutely no idea how long she was expected to remain…
Despite this, Soutarou said very little, instead he just occasionally nodded, before he offered the final bite of his taiyaki when she finished hers too quickly.
She accepted it and by the time she stopped talking, the sun had lowered considerably.
The girl stared down at the empty paper sleeve in her hands.
Her cheeks turned faintly pink and she apologized, “Sorry, kid…”
She gave him an embarrassed smile as she embarrassedly said,”I vented a bit too much to you, huh?”
Soutarou shook his head.
The response was immediate…
Simple…
And so painfully clichéd that some forgotten part of his former self would’ve laughed as he just warmly said, “It’s okay.”
The girl’s expression softened and she murmured, “You’re very kind.”
Soutarou shrugged before licking a trace of red bean paste from his thumb as he casually commented, “I mean…
If you have nowhere to stay, why don’t you just come with me?”
The girl blinked…
Soutarou continued casually, as though he were inviting a classmate over to play as he proudly proclaimed, “Big sis and me have a lot of spare rooms at the house!”
He took another small bite before adding, “She always says the more the merrier.”
Silence…
The girl stared at him and Soutarou stared back.
Internally, her heart melted, but externally, she released a soft laugh.
<What a sweet child…>
He clearly didn’t understand the danger of inviting strangers home and it was adorable…
But also deeply concerning.
And so she decided…
She’d walk him home.
That was the responsible decision.
She’d make sure he reached his guardian safely, explain that children shouldn’t invite unknown adults into their homes, and then continue solving her own problems. The source of this chapter is g.com.
She said gently, “Alright, I’ll come with you.”
Soutarou nodded as though the matter were settled…
Only then did a thought occur to him and he embarrassedly asked,”Uh…
Sorry miss, what’s your name?”
The girl smiled and replied, “Lavinia.”
She adjusted her hat and continued, “Lavinia Reni.”
Soutarou stopped walking…
Only for half a second, but he did clear stop for a split second.
‘Lavinia Reni?’
The name struck something buried within the fog…
A blonde magician…
Longinus…
Ice…
A connection to Vali?
Team Vali?
Or perhaps one of the Slash/Dog characters?
Soutarou hadn’t read the light novels.
He’d never even read the manga either.
Most of what he knew beyond the anime came from wiki pages, forum discussions, and scattered spoilers he’d absorbed without context…
But he knew that name.
‘I’ll have to sort everything out and build my own information network to make better use of my so-called meta knowledge… But from what I remember…’
‘She’s a character.
A named one.
And she’s a powerful one at that.
Sorry let me rephrase that…
She’s extremely powerful…’
Soutarou resumed walking before Lavinia could notice his hesitation…
Possibilities raced through his mind…
Was this actually Lavinia Reni?
Or merely another coincidence like Mamako?
The blonde hair matched…
The foreign background matched…
The hat seemed familiar.
And there was something else…
Now that he focused, the power inside Soutarou reacted faintly whenever he stood near her.
Not fear…
Not hostility…
Recognition, perhaps?
As though the energy inside him could sense something similar within Lavinia…
Something vastly and clear more refined than what he had that’s for sure.
‘Definitely magical.
So probably Lavinia Reni.
Which means bringing her home is either extremely smart…
Or catastrophically stupid.’
He then looked up at her, but Lavinia had already become distracted by a bird walking along the path.
‘Nevermind…
Let’s just smart.’
When they reached the house, Lavinia expected the situation to resolve itself immediately…
The child’s guardian would open the door…
Panic upon seeing a strange foreign teenager with luggage…
Thank Lavinia for escorting him…
And politely send her away.
Instead, Soutarou opened the door and called, “Mamako-nee, I’m home.”
Footsteps rapidly approached…
Mamako appeared from the kitchen wearing an apron and carrying a wooden spoon…
Her face brightened the moment she saw Soutarou and she blindingly brightly exclaimed, “Welcome home, So-kun!”
Then she noticed Lavinia, then the luggage, then Lavinia’s exhausted expression, and then the way the blonde girl stood awkwardly behind Soutarou as though uncertain whether she was allowed to enter.
Mamako’s maternal instincts activated with enough force that Soutarou could practically feel the atmosphere change.
‘I seriously can’t get used to how her maternal instincts are literally like a superpower…
Maybe she is that Mamako after all?
I never watched that anime seriously…
I think maybe I watched like two episodes…?
Hell, I only remember her, because…
Ah let’s not think about what sources I remember her from…
*cough* *cough*’
Soutarou shook himself out of his thoughts with his face flushing a bit before Mamako’s voice rang out, “Oh my…”
Lavinia straightened and she stiffly said, “Good afternoon…
I’m sorry for intruding, I only came to make sure he arrived home safely.”
Soutarou removed his shoes before knowingly adding, “She doesn’t have anywhere to stay, Nee-chan”
Soutarou cut her off and lobbed the ball to Mamako, “She slept in a waiting room last night.”
Mamako’s eyes widened as Lavinia panicked and tried call out, “Soutarou-san…!”
Lavinia’s face turned red as Soutarou added more fuel to the flame, “She’s here for a long job, but her bosses didn’t arrange a house.”
Lavinia tried to stop him, “Soutarou-san-…”
Soutarou cut her off ruthlessly with a devilishly warm smile as he said,”She also got on the wrong train twice.”
Lavinia really snapped this time in panic, “Soutarou!”
Mamako lowered the spoon and her gaze returned to Lavinia.
The poor girl looked ready to disappear into the floor.
Mamako stepped forward and gently asked, “What’s your name?”
Lavinia glared at Soutarou for a moment before nervously responding, “L-Lavinia Reni.”
Mamako pressed gently, “How old are you, Lavinia-chan?”
Lavinia hesitated for a moment before truthfully admitting, “S-sixteen.”
Mamako’s expression changed.
Nothing dramatic happened except for a softening around her eyes that told Soutarou the battle had already ended.
‘Heh…!
Checkmate.
Mamako used mama power!
It’s super effective!
Hehe~!
As expected of my most powerful weapon.
Muahaha!’
Mamako only proved Soutarou’s point by warmly saying, “You must be exhausted.”
Lavinia hesitated and tried to decline what Mamako implying, “I’m alright-.”
Before her own stomach growled and sold her out… Loudly.
Soutarou looked up at her.
Mamako looked at her.
Lavinia slowly lowered her face into her hands.
Mamako immediately took her suitcase as she gently smiled and said, “You’ll eat first.”
Lavinia tried still to decline, “No, really, I couldn’t possibly-”
Mamako simple continued, “And then you’ll take a bath.”
Lavinia tried again, “Takashina-san, I only intended to-”
Mamako just smiled and said, “After that, we’ll prepare the guest room.”
Lavinia blinked and questioned, “The guest room?”
Mamako smiled, warmly, but dangerously as she said, “The more the merrier.”
Soutarou hid his victorious expression while removing his backpack.
And so…
Lavinia remained for one night…
The following morning, Mamako discovered that Lavinia had nowhere arranged for the rest of the week.
So one night became seven.
By the end of that week, Mamako had purchased additional towels, indoor slippers, and enough toiletries to imply Lavinia would be remaining for several months…
Lavinia protested…
Weakly…
Then Mamako made her breakfast…
One week became a month.
Lavinia began helping Soutarou with his homework…
When she understood it…
She frequently didn’t…
She got lost inside Kuoh despite living there for several weeks…
She left her hat in unusual places.
She accidentally put salt in Mamako’s tea and apologized with such devastation that Mamako hugged her for nearly ten minutes…
In return, Mamako packed lunches for her…
Waited awake whenever Lavinia returned late…
Scolded her for accepting work without enough rest…
A month became several…
Then Soutarou noticed that Lavinia’s luggage had disappeared from the guest-room floor…
Her clothes now occupied the wardrobe…
Her books rested on the shelves…
A framed photograph had appeared beside her bed…
Mamako in the center…
Soutarou holding one of her hands…
And Lavinia standing on the other side with a surprised, happy expression.
Lavinia Reni had come to Kuoh with an assignment, a suitcase, and nowhere to call home…
She found a strange little boy with a frighteningly large magical reserve…
A taiyaki…
And an eighteen…
no, twenty-one-year-old woman whose maternal instincts refused to let her leave.
One day became a week.
A week became a month.
And somewhere along the way…
Lavinia became… family.