Bad Adult

“I don’t want people to know about Lua’s power. No, they absolutely must not know under any circumstances.”

This strange requirement to hide the child’s power was heard while the discussion about the child’s private tutor was still ongoing.

As might be expected, Ord, who had never particularly hidden his power, could only express doubt.

That was because the power he had directly experienced earlier wasn’t particularly the kind of power that needed to be hidden from others.

That bizarre abnormal ability that worked simply by having the child’s hand touch an object was a kind of barrier.

A power specialized in protecting the child itself, returning any attacks directed at the child to nothing.

He only learned that the child also possessed the power to reflect received damage after being told by the guardian in front of him…

“She’s not a child who would use her power for bad things. It’s a power others are desperate to have.”

“That’s exactly the problem. That’s why I wanted to send her to the academy.”

“What would change by sending her to the academy?”

“She would be less noticeable. Even if they’re not quite at Lua’s level, there would be children with all sorts of brilliant abilities around Lua.”

“And as long as she’s just an academy ‘student,’ Reiner… no, the principal can somehow manage it.”

“The principal could hide the true power of that ability. He wouldn’t let her reveal in front of other children a power he himself declared dangerous.”

The story that continued from this person, who was both the guild master of the much-talked-about Lunatic Guild and the child’s guardian, was the kind that had been momentarily overlooked.

“One way or another, she’s still a child. An innocent child who doesn’t think at all about the possibility of being used.”

Although it was just a ‘what if’ scenario, when he thought about it, it wasn’t a story with such a low possibility, so.

Instead of expressing his personal opinion, he let Asha speak about all the possibilities she could consider.

“What if someone kidnaps her. No, not just kidnapping, but forcibly driving her in front of vicious monsters.”

“Lua will live her entire life as a tool for someone who isn’t human. As a convenient tool that never wears out no matter how much it’s used.”

“I absolutely cannot bear to see that. I will completely block any possibility of the Holy Country or that battle maniac from the northern continent approaching Lua.”

“You intend to keep her as a greenhouse flower until she becomes an adult.”

“In truth, if I had my way, I’d like to keep her in a greenhouse for her entire life, but…”

Her voice became a bit sad as she said that the child would have a life she wants to live. That the child’s life after she becomes independent is beyond her authority.

However, since she had recently strongly felt the need to hide that excessively useful power, especially when the child is literally a child right now.

“Since we’ve decided not to send her to the academy, she must appear to others as nothing more or less than an ordinary child.”

“But if people see her taking lessons, they’ll naturally learn about that ability too.”

“Then we’ll make sure they can’t see.”

Finally, he heard that she would hide the child’s power even to the extent of creating a separate place for lessons.

In Ord’s own opinion, he wondered if there was a need to go that far, but when the ‘parent’ was so determined to do so.

“I-I’m not a parent!”

“It’s just a figure of speech. You really show your inexperience in the strangest ways.”

Ord agreed to the requirement without any particular objection, as it wasn’t unreasonable from his standpoint.

Anyway, they would take care of both the location and the costs.

It was a good requirement for him too, in the sense that he could focus solely on teaching without having to worry about others’ gazes.

It was right after that when he began to verbalize his requirements as a teacher.

“What the child asked me to teach was the power to protect ‘others’ too. So, the current state won’t do.”

“…What do you mean?”

“First, I’ll make her understand with her head what it means to protect others. Then, I’ll make her body understand what her head doesn’t get.”

“So, what does that mea─”

Before the slightly puzzled Asha could finish what she was saying, ding.

A message arrived from the person who had taken the child away to prevent her from eavesdropping on their conversation.

At this, her mouth was temporarily closed.

But after scanning the content of the message once, she could no longer remain silent.

The reason being…

“She’s distributing snacks… and ones she received for her trouble running an errand?”

Because the child, who had just performed an errand disguised as a request, was bestowing truly childlike pure kindness upon others.

The problem was, as expected, that Asha herself was not included in the category of ‘others.’

She sent a message instructing them to have the child save a portion for her, even if belatedly… but…

-Ding.

[She has already distributed all of them.]

[Photo of someone with a colorful jelly in their mouth.]

Because a photo arrived of someone with the usual expressionless face holding what was obviously a snack distributed by the child in their mouth.

Momentarily forgetting that she wasn’t alone in this office, she sent a message full of jealousy to her secretary.

[Spit it out, spit it out, spit it out!]

[I didn’t directly receive it from Ms. Lua either. One of the request office staff gave it to me…]

[Anyway, spit it out!! I didn’t even get any!!]

[Hmm, it’s strawberry flavor. I thought it would be pineapple flavor since the end is yellow.]

“#@$#$%#@!$!@$”

However, far from getting the desired result, she was just thoroughly teased, so she ended up voicing her grievance aloud.

It was after that when a message arrived saying they would now bring the child back to the office.

Only then did she recall the conversation with Ord that had been interrupted, and again uttered a question mark, but before she could properly hear anything, the office door opened.

“…Lua. Do you really like that person?”

While putting aside the sadness and disappointment that were slowly rising toward the familiar face, she collected herself and asked about Ord.

The answers that came back from the child were all positive in nature.

She tried to intimidate the child with deliberately exaggerated words, but for some reason, far from being scared, the child replied that she already knew all of them.

In other words, this time too, regardless of what Asha herself said, she couldn’t change the child’s mind, so.

“Alright, how could I stop you, Lua…”

In the end, she informed the child that she had decided to do as the child wanted this time as well.

Instead, she did add one condition: that the child must only take lessons at a place Asha herself designated.

She had already compromised enough, so surely the child would agree to such a ‘trivial’ request.

“Is building an entire building trivial…?”

“I-it’s not building a separate one, it’s repairing an old training hall.”

The cost itself would be quite similar, but she didn’t particularly care.

It was all for the safety of her precious child, so what was a few pennies of money?

Somehow, the more the child heard these words, the wider her eyes became, but well… she’s still a child.

-Stroke.

“I can easily do this much for you, Lua. So, don’t feel burdened.”

Only after she gently patted the head did the tension in the slightly flustered face begin to ease bit by bit.

One way or another, it had turned out as the child had hoped.

Anyway, with this, everything that needed to be told to the child had been told.

Since it would take at least two weeks for the child’s ‘classroom’ to be ready, she had planned to keep the child by her side and spend time together during those remaining two weeks.

But why.

“Um, Big Sister. Being with you is of course good, but this time─”

She was saying she wanted to be left alone as much as possible until her classroom was ready.

C-could I have done something wrong?

“Well, I suppose she wouldn’t want to go around with someone who starved her from the very first day she was brought to the guild headquarters.”

“…?!”

Only when the whispered, subtle rebuke from the person who had been watching her every move was heard did memories of past days emerge.

Memories from letting a hungry child make breakfast for herself to memories related to the academy spread like a panorama, making her realize her mistake.

Looking back, these were behaviors that could have made the child lose affection for her long ago.

It was this very point that made her heart sink even more.

“Yet she’s disappointed just because a bad adult didn’t give her a few snacks…”

The conscience that had been working a bit excessively since some point began to painfully prick somewhere in her heart at the subdued voice.

In the end, unable to resist for long, she permitted the child’s solo activity.

She still hadn’t noticed that her secretary and the child were exchanging some suspicious glances.

“But you absolutely must not take off that bracelet… okay? It should let me know where you are… okay?”

“Yes!”

What she showed in response to the child’s clear answer was an awkward smile that was neither crying nor laughing.

For now, only Ord, who was still close to an outsider, was silently watching this sitcom-like situation.

“Thank you for helping me.”

“Don’t mention it.”

I thanked the person who ended up helping me in a somewhat different way than I had expected, right after leaving the office.

Honestly, I didn’t even hint at anything, just briefly made eye contact, so I didn’t know she would help me this much.

Hmm, does she really have mind-reading powers?

Given that she helped me be able to move around alone without me ever saying how to help, she might really have seen through my mind.

“A busy person would only get busier if they had to take care of Ms. Lua too. That’s all.”

Once again, the response heard was one where nothing beyond rational logic could be found.

However, this time, Tana herself also seemed to be slightly enjoying it, so.

“Hmm… Do you perhaps enjoy teasing Big Sister Asha?”

I casually asked the person who was wearing the same expressionless face as always.

After a moment, the answer that came back was…

“I don’t dislike it.”

A negative form that implied affirmation.