Chapter 1230 - By the Glittering Lake
—Man, this is a seriously great place. Thanks for the invite, kid!
"Ah, yeah. I'm glad you like it—ow, that hurts, I'm sinking into the ground..."
Thus, a scene of a belated meetup.
Even his outfit (dot-emphasis: outfit) showed his high tension. Clad in an extremely cheerful Aloha shirt and shorts that suited him all too well, the giant of over two meters unleashed his familiar, excessive force. While taking the assault of his large palm heavily slapping my shoulder, I let out a bitter smile.
After asking a few people, including Nono-san and the others, to escort him, I did a little trick (dot-emphasis: trick) to guide him out of the 'Zoodiac (Group)' base without anyone noticing.
From there, I just handed him a map I made by fully utilizing my 'Memory (Gift)' and had him go ahead... but seeing that he arrived safely and is already enjoying his vacation, I'm relieved for now. It would be a joke if he had gotten lost.
Of course, with this lineup, getting lost wouldn't be a big deal anyway, and in the worst-case scenario, I could easily go pick him up by tracing our partner connection. I wasn't particularly worried, but—
"Still... just to be sure, are you okay with that lake? I mean, thinking back, was that sea fishing trip back then really alright?"
Gossan, who had transitioned from slapping (thud-thud) to a shoulder-drape (chokehold), asked me, who suffered from the now-family-known thalassophobia... or rather, 'fear of deep water where there is a possibility of encountering something'.
Recalling that I didn't say things like "the sea is scary" when we went on that trip,
"For example, let's say Gossan suddenly threw me into the lake with all his might right now."
"Huh? No, I wouldn't do that... but, well, let's say I did?"
"I can easily deal with that, right? I can even break my fall in mid-air if I want to."
"You've grown up splendidly. And?"
"In other words, no matter what happens now, I hold the fact and the confidence that I can definitely avoid going splash. No matter what happens, there is no future where I enter the water."
"O-Oh..."
"That's how it is."
In short, as long as it's a situation where there's no need to worry or be afraid, even if it's right in front of me, I basically take no damage... When I explained this complex trauma-ridden mind,
"I-I see... well, as long as you're fine, that's what matters."
With a face that probably didn't understand, Gossan nodded, saying, "I don't get it, but okay." I don't dislike his attitude of embodying 'roughness' to a textbook level.
—While the old man and the kid were fooling around... thud (dot-emphasis: thud).
"Fish. We can cook them, right?"
"Yeah, a carp on a cutting board is basically me in the water."
"I think you're being a bit too defiant in a weird direction with that analogy..."
I caught Ri-na, who had jumped at my waist from the side. I had thrown her into the advance group, thinking we should at least have someone who 'has been there before' accompany them, not just a map.
She fulfilled the role I asked of her, so I'll allow a little skinship.
I'll pretend I didn't see Ashe, who was welcoming Nia with a hug over there, staring blankly... or rather, sending a lukewarm gaze my way.
...Ashe and Minalina always seem to have this atmosphere of subtly competing whenever they have free time. I guess that's it. Their past of keeping each other in check as the [Sword Queen] and the 'Eastern Wings' in the Four Pillar War probably sprouted a strong sense of rivalry.
They even had an intense duel (rock-paper-scissors) over Sora's fourth magic sword.
While thinking about this and messily ruffling Ri-na's hair to simultaneously handle Ashe's jealousy and appreciate my self-proclaimed younger sister... another thud, or rather, a gentle pat (dot-emphasis: pat) newly arrived.
Unlike Ri-na, who basically never slows down and charges whenever she sees her 'Big Brother', this was a brave, gentle, and lovely body slam where I could deeply feel care and affection.
"...Did I keep you waiting?"
"Fufu... yes."
The heat source was behind me. When I turned around and smiled—likewise, my Angel smiled too.
"...What? Did they get married already?"
"Don't tease them like that. He has a lot on his plate, despite how he looks."
I could hear the quiet voices of a lovey-dovey couple nearby who had no right to talk about others, but I truly didn't care about that. Ah, my fiancée (partner) is too cute... —Ow.
"...Indulging in a 'woman' while currently keeping a 'younger sister' by your side is a grave sin."
"What on earth are you talking about? Go review your language arts and ethics."
Well, even now, not far from that day. For me, whose love for Sora occasionally loses control and explodes, that merciless claw-digging flank grab was good medicine.
I should behave myself.
Ah, look, now not only Ashe but even Nia is starting to pout.