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If fate exists in this world, it must have decided to torment me.

 

Because without such an absurd reason, I just couldn’t comprehend it.

 

For a face that’s still young and fresh—though I’m a bit hesitant to say it myself—with so many more days ahead than behind.

 

“What if my face gets sold everywhere…!!”

 

For a long time afterward, I alternated between silent and vocal screams at the name Lua that could be seen and heard everywhere.

 

I just couldn’t calm down.

 

The excessively cheerful voice of a children’s song that had been circling in my ears was an added bonus.

 

‘I would really like to be on television, really like to be~’

“Not at all! I really don’t like it at all! Aaaargh!!”

“Lu-Lua! Pull yourself together!”

 

I wanted to cry more than ever before.

 

And at some point, I really was crying and didn’t know what to do.

 

At this, Asha, who couldn’t stand it anymore, uncharacteristically grabbed both my shoulders strongly enough to make a thud sound.

 

“Look at me in the eyes and talk, Lua, not at anything else. Did you get on the news because you stole something?”

“N-No…”

“Then why are you acting like someone who did something wrong? Everyone is praising you for being a brave child. I’m proud of you, Lua.”

 

She tried to calm me down for now, regardless of what might happen later.

 

However, praise should keep within certain limits to be praise.

 

The sight of actors and celebrities I’d never met unanimously extolling me was basically telling me not to go outside.

 

“Why can’t you go out? No one will say anything whether you go out to watch a movie or buy a cream bun.”

“But they’ll take pictures! They’ll definitely talk to me! What if everyone asks for a handshake!”

“Um… I can’t tell you that won’t happen.”

 

In the end, all of Asha’s efforts to comfort me came to nothing.

 

After some time had passed, I discovered several messages that had arrived from Tine.

 

[Did you see the news, Lua? Now the whole world is really grateful to you!]

 

[I’m a bit jealous that you got praised by ■■. I haven’t met ■■ yet.]

 

[Anyway, congratulations, little hero. Now you only have praise to look forward to.]

“I thought she was a nice person! I thought she was really trying to help me!!”

 

Only then did I realize that the scariest thing in this world is not monsters or ghosts, but money.

 

How did she manage to make all broadcasting stations talk about me overnight?

 

Is this even possible, even for a global corporation…?

 

-Slide.

 

“It’s better not to underestimate the power of Pelia. It’s a corporation that stands at the top in many fields.”

“Sa-savior!”

“I came to submit my resignation. I’m tired of cleaning up after Ms. Lua’s incidents.”

“N-No way!!”

 

As soon as I heard the two words “resignation,” I rushed urgently to Tana.

 

More precisely, I ran toward Tana’s leg and stuck to it like a cicada.

 

Almost simultaneously, I begged her to please help me, saying I had done wrong a hundred, a thousand times.

 

“What can I help you with? All you’re getting is positive attention.”

“Even if it’s positive attention, it’s too much. Of course I like being praised, but I never wanted it to this extent!”

 

For a long time after that.

 

Really, for a very long time, I clung to Tana, begging her not to make the extreme choice of resignation.

 

I practically pleaded that I couldn’t do without Tana.

 

The question that eventually came back from the person looking down at me with the same emotionless gaze as always was enough to leave me speechless.

 

“Yesterday, you clearly said with your own mouth that it wouldn’t be dangerous or reckless. Did you lie to me again?”

“I-I also believed it wouldn’t be. It absolutely shouldn’t have been…”

“That’s an excuse that only sounds good. Do you know how many interview requests came in just this morning?”

 

Looking at Tana’s dark circles, which somehow seemed darker today, I couldn’t even make excuses anymore.

 

Still, I felt I couldn’t find a way to solve this maddening situation without Tana.

 

So I kept asking for help, even at the expense of shame.

 

In response, after briefly making eye contact with Asha, Tana finally offered a single solution.

 

Strictly speaking, it was more of a damage control measure to prevent things from getting worse than a solution, but in my position, it was the only lifeline.

 

“If Ms. Lua appears in person at an official venue and answers people’s curiosity just once, things will quiet down at least a little afterward. Interest usually subsides as quickly as it boils up.”

 

“I will contact Pelia as soon as possible. We can’t stop what’s already been spread, but we must prevent it from growing any larger in scale.”

 

“So, get ready quickly. There are only two hours left until the scheduled press conference.”

“T-Two hours is too little! Give me a little more time to prepare—”

“It’s already two hours after postponing and postponing. Any more is impossible.”

 

I faced Tana’s most resolute stance ever.

 

I looked hopefully toward Asha, but only received the answer that if Tana said it was impossible, it really was impossible.

 

“I’ll help you by your side. Let’s get through this just this once.”

 

In the end, I had to hurriedly prepare for my first-ever press conference, eating the bitter pill.

 

So, after barely tidying my disheveled hair and leaving the hospital room in a flash.

 

Finally arriving at the guild headquarters that felt like I was returning after a very long time.

 

“As neat and pretty as possible. You know what I mean, right?”

“Leave it to me, Guild Master. It’s our Lua we’re talking about, not someone else. How could I do a sloppy job?”

 

A similar event to when Cinia had dressed me up for my first meeting with Tine—trying on all kinds of colorful clothes and receiving quite professional makeup—happened once again.

 

Throughout all this, I tried to listen carefully to Tana’s examples of questions I could answer and ones I could ignore.

 

The problem was that with various situations passing by so chaotically, the time to head to the press conference venue was suddenly upon us.

 

“I-I’m scared, Sister. What if I make a mistake?”

“It would be stranger for a child like you not to make mistakes. Don’t tense up unnecessarily, it’ll only make things harder for you.”

 

So, finally, eventually, at last.

 

-Click.

 

The firmly closed doors of the press conference hall opened wide.

 

Almost simultaneously, a shower of countless camera shutters poured down.

 

Somehow, I managed to tightly hold Asha’s hand and step forward one by one to sit in the prepared seat.

 

“Was there external coercion for Lua to head to the Tower? Or was it Lua’s own will?”

 

“We’ve confirmed that there are no registered records of Lua’s abnormal abilities. Do you have anything to say about this?”

 

“Who was the form of another child witnessed at the top floor of the Tower? Is it certain that the entity fiercely attacking Lua was completely destroyed?”

 

As all kinds of questions suddenly poured in.

 

I realized my eyes were starting to spin and immediately froze like an ice statue.

 

However, because of a question that just couldn’t be ignored reached my ears.

 

“Everyone who returned from the Tower testifies that Lua was the tank, but frankly, it’s hard to believe. Is it really true that Lua stood at the front?”

“I am a tank player! I was always in front of my friends, not behind!”

 

I unconsciously flared up at the voice that seemed to doubt me and answered while biting my tongue.

 

The problem was the other questions that started with that one.

 

For example, questions like whether there really was no other option but to put a child like me at the very front sprouted up like bamboo shoots after rain.

 

From some point on, I continued to somehow answer without properly knowing what I was saying.

 

Still, since Asha or Tana occasionally filtered out the questions for me, I had no choice but to believe that no other problems would arise here.

 

And coincidentally, at least the final question wasn’t a particularly weighty one.

 

“Excuse me, Lua. What do you want to do most right now?”

“What I want to do most right now is… Ah, travel! I promised to go on a trip with Sister Asha quite a long time ago.”

 

I was able to finish my answer in a relatively calm and serene voice.

 

So, after somehow escaping from the press conference hall while once again relying on Asha’s hand.

 

“…Perhaps I should have taught her how to speak coherently.”

“Te…Teacher?”

 

I met Odd, who had been standing in the corridor for some time, after a very long while.

 

Almost simultaneously, when I glanced at Asha, she told me it was okay to talk with Odd for a while.

 

As I awkwardly approached another person who had been worried about me, I was about to say sorry once again, a word I had said countless times.

 

-Hug.

 

“…!”

 

Because the person who always gave me only scolding or nagging embraced me without a word.

 

In addition, even his always firm voice and rough hands were trembling slightly.

 

“I clearly told you… not to make me regret it. Do you know how much I regretted in front of you as you lay asleep like you were dead?”

 

I couldn’t say anything.

 

I didn’t know what to say.

 

All I could do, all I could give, was to obediently stay in Odd’s embrace and carefully listen to his voice.

 

“Still… eventually you woke up like this, so it’s fine. Yes, that’s all that matters.”

 

“Welcome back, Lua… Thank you for being the first person I didn’t lose. Sincerely.”

 

At some point, even his eyes had become slightly reddened.

 

At the same time, he was smiling slightly.

 

At this, I was about to show a slight smile too, when.

 

“It’s already been delayed for half a year. We should start again soon, right?”

“What… what?”

“Lessons, what else?”

 

For some unknown reason, in just a few seconds, he started to gradually return to the Odd I knew.

 

To the form of a barbarian without even a grain of flexibility.

 

“I-I cleared all the way to the top floor of the Tower. I defeated the Petrification Colossus, the Wood Golems, and the Elder Dragon!”

“Learning has no end.”

 

My spine began to tingle by the second.

 

It was unavoidable for me to turn around and quickly flee back to Asha.

 

“My goodness, and here you were saying you didn’t care how difficult Odd’s lessons were.”

“…Now I do care…”

 

Either way, now that the press conference was over.

 

Right now, all I wanted was to go home and rest comfortably without any thoughts or worries.

 

Honestly, I had rested a lot in the hospital room too, but resting at home is a different feeling.

 

However…

 

-Clatter.

 

“Um, Sister Asha. What are you… doing?”

“Preparing for our trip.”

“I mean, why now?”

 

Unlike me, who had sprawled on the sofa as soon as we returned home after a really long time, Asha started packing clothes and such into a bag.

 

When I asked with a sinking feeling, she replied that we would leave for our promised trip today.

 

“There will be more people looking for you for a while anyway. It would be good for you too to stay somewhere quiet until things calm down a bit.”

“Th-That… works like that?”

 

I was finally convinced by Asha’s words that it would be better for me to leave the guild headquarters, at least until public interest subsided.

 

However, it was obvious we would be caught from the first-floor lobby if we left for a trip today.

 

I thought we should at least disguise me somehow so people wouldn’t easily recognize me.

 

“Hmm, it should be about time for—”

 

-Ding dong.

 

“Ah, here it is.”

 

As if she had thought of this too, Asha let Tana, who appeared carrying something, into the house.

 

Not long after, what was handed to me was a familiar-looking potion.

 

“…Tana. Is this what I think it is?”

“Yes, it’s the transformation potion you entrusted to me before.”

 

Come to think of it, there was no more certain method of disguise right now than a transformation potion.

 

No one in the world would expect a child to suddenly transform into an almost adult appearance.

 

Only the foul smell and taste characteristic of transformation potions made me wrinkle my face.

 

“The sooner you drink it, the sooner we leave. If we delay more time here, we might have to hold another press conference.”

“I-I’m just not mentally prepared yet.”

“You’ve done more dangerous things, so is drinking a potion that frightening to you?”

 

At Tana’s urging-but-not-urging, I eventually gulped down the mushy liquid.

 

Sure enough, the familiar throbbing and pain that began in less than a few seconds transformed my entire body once again.

 

“…Is this really safe?”

“This isn’t the first time Ms. Lua has drunk a transformation potion. You probably didn’t know that.”

 

After trembling my arms and legs for a while and barely enduring the sudden changes in my body, I could finally breathe comfortably again.

 

Almost simultaneously, I had to change into clothes that fit my enlarged and elongated body, but honestly, I thought that was nothing.

 

Yes, in a way, it’s Asha’s first time seeing me closer to an adult, so I could somehow understand her trying on different clothes on me, but…

 

“…Looking at it now, Ms. Lua is better than the Guild Master in some ways. No, should I say bigger?”

“What… what do you mean?”

“I mean I’m looking forward to when Ms. Lua really becomes an adult. There’s no other meaning.”

 

For some reason, Tana’s gaze was intensely fixed on one particular spot.

 

Now that I looked, the clothes I was wearing were somehow embarrassingly revealing for outdoor wear.

 

“C-Can’t I wear different clothes?”

“Why? They just look pretty.”

“No one will recognize you as Ms. Lua anyway. There’s no need to worry too much.”

 

For some reason, I expressed my opinion to Tana and Asha, who seemed to be working together, that I wanted to change into more comfortable clothes with more coverage.

 

And was ultimately rejected.

 

In the end, with my face slightly red, I was practically dragged out of the house.

 

After finally getting off the elevator, which for some reason had been stopping at every single floor.

 

Passing through a long corridor where, whether by coincidence or design, familiar faces appeared more frequently today.

 

Until we got into the car that was waiting at the guild headquarters’ main entrance.

 

I encountered countless people who looked like they wanted to say something but held back.

 

It was rather inevitable that my suspicion turned into certainty.

 

“…Tell me honestly, even now. Everyone knows that the date of our trip is today, and that this appearance is from a transformation potion, right?”

“Well, maybe…?”

 

The light purple eyes that kept avoiding my gaze.

 

It seemed that my efforts to become unrecognizable by drinking the unpalatable transformation potion had been in vain.

 

In other words, everyone at the Lunatic Guild headquarters recognized me.

 

“I’m never drinking a transformation potion again. Ever.”

 

I repeated a rather meaningless pledge to myself at this point when everything had already been revealed.

 

…What did they all want to see so badly?

 

They could see this appearance to their heart’s content once I became an adult anyway.

 

“They just wanted to see another side of you, Lua. Honestly, it’s too precious for only Tana to know.”

“…That’s a compliment, right?”

“Of course it’s a compliment. Why would I say anything mean to you?”

 

What I faced next was Asha’s always affectionate eyes.

 

-Thump.

 

In the end, I couldn’t help but burst into a small laugh, discarding even the last bit of uneasiness.

 

Either way, for a while, I would be able to spend carefree, enjoyable time alone with Asha.

 

-Thump.

-Thump.

 

All that remained ahead were the happy times I had been postponing and delaying.

 

Perhaps that’s why, even though I was just lightly holding hands with my most precious person as always, my heart was beating fast.

 

-Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump…

 

“Hey, Sister Asha. Where are we going first?”

“First to the Jenia Great Waterfall. I heard there’s a famous hot spring around there.”

 

What followed was a story about famous tourist attractions suitable for just the two of us, besides the Jenia Great Waterfall.

 

Actually, I didn’t mind going anywhere as long as I was with Asha, so I didn’t say I disliked any place.

 

It’s just that my heart kept beating quickly no matter how much time passed.

 

“Hmm… Why is your face so red?”

 

As Asha’s hand gently rested on my forehead to check if I had a fever, I felt it more vividly than ever before.

 

“Hmm, you don’t seem to have a fever. Are you feeling hot?”

“N-No. It’s just right.”

 

I avoided Asha’s gaze, unlike my usual self.

 

Almost simultaneously, I faced my somehow strange reflection in the semi-transparent window.

 

The problem was that I had seen this kind of appearance several times before.

 

Not long after, Dainur’s voice naturally played in my ears from my memory.

 

‘If loving someone more dearly than anyone else in the world is love, then I love you, Ms. Lua—’

“…Loving someone more dearly than anyone else is love…”

 

Then I unconsciously placed my hand slowly on my chest.

 

I gradually turned my head and met Asha’s eyes briefly.

 

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

 

-Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

 

Because I belatedly realized the true cause of my heart’s violent pounding.

 

“N-Nothing… It’s nothing.”

 

I pretended nothing was wrong and averted my gaze again.

 

Yet a question that finally escaped my lips.

 

“…Sister Asha. Do you… love me?”

 

Almost simultaneously, without any hesitation, as if wondering why I was asking something so obvious.

 

“Of course I love you. I love our Lua the most in the whole world.”

 

Words with both the meaning I wanted and the meaning I didn’t want were uttered.

 

The answer I deliberately returned in a calm voice was finally the kind of meaning I truly came to desire.

 

“…I love you too. More than anyone in the world.”

“…!…!!”

 

That harmless face instantly brightened, probably because she understood it in a different sense.

 

Still, it didn’t matter.

 

After all, we were scheduled to spend some time just the two of us.

 

No, perhaps even after the trip ends. Even after time passes and I become an adult.

 

The time I spend with Asha would never be little…

 

“I hope we continue to be happy.”

“Yes, me too.”

 

I didn’t try to deny the current thumping of my heart.

 

…I was looking forward to what comes next.

 

With a little more and different meanings than Asha thought.