No wonder every barbarian I meet starts with a growl.

Dale and Maki.

The two children had one thing in common.

The commonality that they were both unwelcome existences in the world.

“Um, Teacher. Is this child a student of the school too?”

Dale, sitting in the arranged seat, staring blankly at Maki.

Maki, too, was just staring blankly at Dale while sitting in her seat as I had instructed, without saying anything in particular.

Could it be they’re just facing each other because I told them to sit across from each other… Well, since they’ve met anyway, it might be good to narrow the distance between them on this occasion.

“That’s right. For now, she’ll be staying at this school.”

“But she’s wearing a maid uniform instead of a school uniform…”

“Ah, there are some circumstances regarding that part.”

Indeed, this part can’t help but be concerning.

There’s a reason for it, but still, for a student who will be attending the academy, would a school uniform have been better than a maid uniform after all?

“Friend…”

Maki, who had begun to open her mouth gradually by the time I was pondering this.

Her insensitive gaze had somehow turned from Dale to me.

“Seine fish. What is friend?”

“It’s not fish… Never mind.”

If she can’t get it right after saying it this much, I should probably give up on correcting it for a while.

Ignoring it, I immediately pondered the answer to Maki’s question.

What is a friend, she asks.

Can I interpret the fact that she’s curious about something as a judgment she’s made herself?

“Fish said. Introduce me to this small human as friend. Then what is friend? Depending on meaning, I will judge how to treat this small human.”

…No, it seems she’s considering this as an extension of my instructions as well.

Still, it’s good that a new question has arisen.

After pondering how to answer, I suddenly turned to Dale with an idea that occurred to me.

“Dale, would you like to try explaining?”

“Huh? Explain what?”

“It seems Maki is quite ignorant about worldly matters. So I thought it might not be bad for you to directly explain what a friend is, since you’ll be spending time together from now on.”

It’s not just about passing on a troublesome task.

The reason Dale came to this academy in the first place was to find friends. Naturally, he must have been thinking about what a friend is all along, so he should be able to answer this current question.

“Um…”

But Dale, upon hearing my suggestion, wore an uneasy expression.

“Isn’t that something we shouldn’t explain?”

“What?”

It was an unexpected answer for me.

Shouldn’t explain, he says.

What a friend is, he means?

“…Why did you come to think that way?”

“Because friendship is something that happens naturally.”

“Naturally?”

“Yes, naturally.”

Dale nods even when I ask again.

Although his attitude seems to lack confidence, the fact that he repeats it means he must have confidence in his opinion.

“I think friends are just people you spend time with, and as you spend more time together, that’s what becomes friendship. I wonder if attaching various explanations to it might actually harm the definition of friendship…”

“…Hehe.”

I thought he was going to say something.

To think he would explain friendship as a relationship that doesn’t need explanation when asked to explain what a friend is.

“Yes, that’s a very good explanation.”

“Huh? Oh, is this an explanation too?”

“It is, but let’s not say more than that. It would be troublesome if Gestalt collapse occurred unnecessarily.”

“Ges… What?”

“There’s such a thing.”

I immediately patted Dale’s head and then turned slightly to Maki.

“Did you understand that explanation, more or less?”

“……”

Silently, Maki stares blankly at Dale.

As Dale shrinks his body as if embarrassed by that gaze, Maki, having organized her thoughts, turned to me again and said:

“In short, I should stay with this small human for the time being?”

“Well, that’s how it will be.”

“Just staying together, is that enough…?”

“Hmm, that’s right. But don’t fight unnecessarily, and it wouldn’t be bad to actively ask Dale if you have any questions.”

“…For the sake of friend relationship, do I grant this small human the qualification of proxy to give me instructions? Is it okay to interpret it like that?”

“Hmm, yes. Let’s say that for now.”

It’s too rigid for a friendship, but even a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

For now, we should be grateful that she’s being cooperative.

“Can you get along well with Dale?”

I asked, looking into her eyes intently.

“…If that is an order.”

To that, Maki nodded in affirmation.

Although she’s still blunt and insensitive, her current attitude shows potential for development.

Hoping that someday this will be modified to be a request or suggestion rather than an order.

“Now then, since we’ve met like this, it’s a connection. To become good friends in the future, let’s finish our greetings by shaking hands.”

I prepared to put the final nail in the coffin of this first meeting, trying to set the starting point for a bright future that would come soon.

“Hold, hands?”

“It’s customary for those who want to form a good relationship to shake hands. Come on, Dale, you try too.”

“Ah, yes!”

Dale immediately answers and approaches Maki.

His appearance, bowing with a flushed face, was that of a shy girl itself.

No, not a girl but a boy.

“Um…”

You rascal.

Anyone watching would think he’s about to confess.

“Although I don’t know much about you, I’ll do my best to become good friends from now on.”

But for that child, this moment might be more important than a confession.

Although there are people he likes, like the president, this is the first time he’s building a relationship from an equal position.

“Well, I look forward to it. Maki.”

Yes, perhaps this could be the most meaningful moment for that child.

As I quietly watched that, Maki also began to spread her fingers towards the hand extended to her.

“Me too.”

Just a little.

I noticed her fingers trembling faintly at the moment their hands met, but.

“I look forward to it too.”

At the end, their fingertips touched, and soon their hands were firmly clasped as if tying a knot.

An esper from the slums and an ancient weapon.

It was the moment when the monumental meeting of these two people successfully ended.

-Crackle, crackle.

…Or so I thought it would end warmly.

What’s this sound?

-Clunk.

Before I could identify the source of the sound, Maki’s body, which had been holding hands, fell flat on the floor.

A metallic sound bursts out as soon as she collapses on the infirmary floor.

Although it teaches that this girl’s body is that sturdy even though she’s lost her power, isn’t it strange to collapse just from holding hands?

“Teacher! Maki collapsed!!”

“The teacher is watching too.”

If she’s collapsed, of course I should examine her, but… Damn, what do I do? I’m someone who can only handle assembled computers when it comes to machines.

Even that is from my previous life, so I can’t help but be clueless about anomalous existences like ancient weapons.

Is something broken? Or has the battery run out?

No, not battery but mana core. Since she has a will, she should have a semi-permanent power source by absorbing mana from the surroundings…

Ah, right, the mana core.

“…You don’t need to worry about Maki. It’s just that the mana in her body has temporarily evaporated. She’ll function again when the mana is replenished.”

“Huh? Mana evaporating… Function?”

“I’ll explain later.”

Even though it was made with ancient technology, the basics are similar to magical tools.

Just as Dale’s magical tool can be recharged with mana when its nullification ability disappears, this child should be able to move again when mana gathers after some time passes.

Still, it might be good to have the craftsman examine her once, just in case.

For external contact, it would be best to go through the vice president via the student council room. As I was making that judgment…

“Teacher, are you here?”

A familiar voice coming from outside the infirmary. Following that sound, I immediately headed outside and could confirm a young man in a white uniform facing me.

Ah, come to think of it, today was the day to bring him.

“It seems you had quite a hard time getting here.”

“…We had to avoid the eyes of the students as much as possible.”

Well, it’s a bit early for school hours, but students with excellent academic enthusiasm like Dale would be gathering to some extent.

To that extent, he probably wanted to avoid the student behind him being noticed by others as much as possible.

A boy with a build that’s hard to believe is a second-year middle school student, a head taller than me.

“He seems to have shrunk since I first saw him… Are you on a diet these days?”

“……”

“…Ahaha, I guess you don’t like these kinds of jokes?”

The boy of barbarian origin, standing silently behind Waden, looking down at me.

Certainly, his height has decreased compared to when I first saw him, but that was due to the characteristics of this child’s race.

The Dandelai tribe beyond the magical barrier Legobrick. They evolved to be able to expand spaces throughout their bodies with mana led by will, adapting to the magical barrier over a long time.

And of course, such expansion doesn’t happen easily.

The body swells up solely by the action of mana led by strong will, and the power derived from it reaches a level that can crush even buildings with bare hands.

In short, the body swells up only when the anger gauge overflows. In states other than that, mana doesn’t dwell in the body, meaning there’s no need to be particularly wary.

“It’s the first time since then, right? Long time no see, Ratel. I’m Seine, the teacher who will be taking care of you for a while.”

Ratel Lo Den.

A second-year middle school student at Maris and a boy responsible for diplomacy with the barbarian tribes that the Empire must go through to conquer the magical barrier.

Considering his position, just having this child with me could be seen as entertaining His Majesty.

So I should be more cautious than when dealing with other students, but…

“…Grrrr.”

As soon as he faced me, he bared his teeth and even raised his eyes fiercely.

Oh my, look at this guy?

Does he remember the flick on the forehead from that time and is trying to bare his teeth at the teacher?

“Ratel Lo Den. Calm down!”

“You calm down first, Waden.”

Waden, worried that he might sweep away the surroundings like last time.

But I too have faced many barbarian mercenaries from the magical barrier on the frontlines. I’ve considered various ways to handle this child even before today came.

If it starts, I can tie him up and beat him, or corner him against a wall and beat him, or lure him outside and play tag until he’s exhausted and then beat him… Hm? Wait.

Where is this child looking now?

“…Oh.”

An exclamation coming from where his gaze is directed.

As I immediately turned around, I saw Dale peeking out from the entrance of the infirmary, watching the situation.

“It seems a bit noisy outside… Did something happen?”

Dale, blinking his eyes and watching the situation.

It didn’t take long for his gaze to recognize Ratel’s existence. Even though he had shrunk, he was still a child with a larger presence than me or Waden.

“Wo, wow… He’s huge.”

Dale, letting out an exclamation as soon as he saw him.

It was admiration purely from seeing Ratel’s size, more surprise than fear.

“Hmm…”

On the contrary, only a groan escaped from Ratel’s mouth as he faced him.

In contrast to growling at me earlier, he was now looking at Dale with indifferent eyes.

He was even making a gesture of resting his thick chin on his hand, as if looking at something interesting, without any sense of anger.

“…Ratel Lo Den?”

Was Waden also surprised by that reaction?

As I looked up at him blankly, a faint smile began to form on my lips as I belatedly recalled the characteristics this child possessed.

“Come to think of it, didn’t barbarians not go berserk against their own kind?”

Of course, this doesn’t mean Dale is of the same race as Ratel.

It just means that there’s a trigger that doesn’t feel anger towards their own kind, and that child’s ability interfered with that trigger.

“No wonder every barbarian I meet starts with a growl.”

So this is what it was, they’ve been identifying friend or foe based on the returning waves of their bat-like cries mixed with mana?