Child – Playtime

"Bubble! Bubble!" Aisha clapped her hands together and then giggled.

Norn nodded and said, "Rui! Bubbles!"

I smiled and said, "Fine, fine. Here you go." I conjured a few small water balls and sent them over to Aisha and Norn.

We were seated on the play set, with me on one side and my sisters on the other side.

Mom sat on the beanbag chair, watching us with a warm smile on her face while resting one hand over her belly.

...Hopefully my new sibling wouldn't cause any trouble by showing up early or something.

I cut that train of thought off and focused on Aisha and Norn.

Aisha easily plucked the water balls I sent her out of the air and started spinning them around in the palm of her hand. And then she merged them into a bigger one, looking like a certain signature technique of a blonde ninja from a village hidden in the leaves.

Yep. Even if things changed, Aisha was still a natural.

And considering how Rudeus said that she managed to pick up magic easily even while learning it when she was older, since she started now...

"Rui! Look, look!" Norn held out her hand to me and said, "Piggy!"

Unlike Aisha, who I was sure was secretly walking on a path to become a kunoichi or something from her antics, Norn did something more normal with her water ball.

The sphere had been smushed and deformed, some parts pulled out and others tucked in to form a rough four legged creature.

It really didn't look like a pig to me, but if you squinted... it probably did?

I smiled at her and patted Norn's head. "Good job, Norn."

Aisha looked at me and pouted. After that, she stuck out her hands too and said, "Big bro! Speeen!"

I laughed and patted Aisha's head too. "That's right. Spin. Be careful not to get water on you now, okay?"

"Kay~!" Aisha nodded and then leaned back, spinning her water ball in different directions.

Norn giggled and then let go of her water sculpture. And surprisingly, it didn't turn back into a sphere or collapse. Instead, it floated around her, awkwardly flailing its limbs.

...Yeah. These two were definitely going to do crazy stuff with magic in the future too, huh?

Though, it was a bit weird.

Rudeus told me to keep an eye on Norn and to help her out a bit since she wasn't very talented. But from what I could see, she was just as talented as Aisha was in magic...

Was that guy mistaken? Or was I just that good of a teacher? Or maybe Norn trusted me enough that she put more effort into things?

That guy hadn't gotten along with Norn, so maybe that made the difference?

Well. Whatever the case, I was going to make sure my baby sisters grew up to be able to take care of themselves. And I was going to make sure not to make them hate me in any way.

That would probably throw me for a loop.

The thought of Norn and Aisha looking at me in disgust...

I didn't even need to imagine it. That guy had experienced it firsthand and made a point to make me relive those memories with him in his long retelling of his 'jobless reincarnation.'

...And I had to remember to not rely too much on that information too since the future was bound to be different due to our differences...

What a mess.

But something for later.

I smiled and watched my baby sisters play. And then I noticed that Mom was staring at me.

I looked over at her and tilted my head. "What is it, Mom?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. Just..." She smiled and said, "I'm happy that you're back to normal. I was starting to think I would never see your cute smile again."

Norn blinked and looked at me. "Rui? No smile?"

Aisha looked at me too and said, "Big Bro sad?"

I waved my hands. "No, no. Mom's just saying that I've been frowning too much."

Norn tilted her head. "Fwown?"

Aisha pointed at me and said, "Big Bro! No frown, smile! Kay?"

I laughed. "Got it, Aisha."

She smiled and then went back to spinning her water ball.

I looked back at my mom and said, "But anyway... I've been in a bit of a funk because of... things." I frowned, remembering everything that had happened along with the entire can of worms that meeting Rudeus had opened up.

Especially the part about Elinalise now being Rostelina and decidedly much less lewd than she was supposed to be.

I shook my head and then smiled. "I'm sorry to worry you though. And both Mama Lily and Dad too."

Mom stood up and then moved her beanbag chair to my side. After that, she reached out to hug me and said, "It's okay. Mommy forgives you."

I smiled.

And then there was a loud shockwave as something flew down from the air and collided against the ground.

"Wah!" Norn flinched and started tipping back.

"Big Sis!" Aisha dropped her water ball and quickly grabbed Norn, trying to pull her up. But she wasn't strong enough.

Before either of them toppled over though, I conjured a small breeze to push the back forward and then grabbed their arms. "Careful now. Crazy things happen in the middle of nowhere. You've got to always be ready, okay?"

Norn sniffed, but nodded. "K-Kay, Rui."

Aisha looked determined. "Got it, Big Bro!"

After seeing that they were okay, I turned to look at my mom.

Only to see her standing up with a stern look on her face and glaring at the source of the commotion.

"Miss Sylphiette and Miss Eris Boreas Greyrat! What did I tell you two about doing those sorts of reckless landings?!"

Eh?

I turned to look and saw a strange sight.

First of all, it was Sylphy and Eris. That wasn't strange. The two had become close friends... Well, Sylphy had become a close friend to Eris. I wasn't sure if it was completely mutual considering how often Sylphy messed with Eris...

But anyway, it wasn't strange to see them together.

What *was* strange was that Sylphy had landed on the ground in a giant crater with Eris held in her arms, princess style.

Which, considering Eris's background, was pretty fitting.

But still... odd.

Mostly because Eris was completely red-faced and super embarrassed instead of angry.

She jumped out of Sylphy's hands and then spun around to point at her. "I-I told you that I can handle myself! You didn't need to carry me like that!"

Sylphy laughed. "Okay, Eris. I'll let Rudy carry you like a princess next time, then."

Eris's face turned even more red and said, "L-L-Like I want that!"

Sylphy's eyes lit up and she said, "Great! Then I'm being carried next time! Thanks Eris!"

"W-Wait! I didn't-"

Before Eris could finish, my mom glared at them and said, "Girls!"

Eris flinched and lowered her head. "Y-Yes Miss Zenith."

Sylphy's ear turned red and she lowered her head too. "Sorry, Miss Zenith."

Mom sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "Honestly. And here I thought that Rudy and Sylphy were already trouble with their crazy magic games..."

Ah. It seemed like Mom never really got over that, huh? But it was just one winter where we caused an avalanche of snow...

At that time, the door to our house opened. Miss Rose walked out carrying an iron skillet. "Who's the one causing all that ruckus out there?! You ruined my pie!"

Sylphy paled. "U-Um..."

Miss Rose looked at Sylphy. And then she saw the giant crater in the ground.

"Sylphiette Dragonroad! What did your father and I tell you about damaging the surroundings when you use magic?!"

I blinked.

...Huh. Okay. So maybe I've been a worse influence on Sylphy than I thought if even the sweet and patient Miss Rose was snapping at Sylphy.

"Now, now." Rostelina walked out after Miss Rose and said, "Let the kids be kids, Rosie. It's no good to force them to be polite."

Miss Rose glared at Rostelina. And then she let out a deep sigh and lowered her skillet. "...I suppose." She shook her head and then looked up at everyone. "Now, how about we enjoy some-"

At that time, blue comet flew down from the sky-

No. It wasn't a blue comet. That was-

*BOOM!*

Another explosion just outside the house's courtyard.

Norn screamed in fear and scrambled around the table to hug me.

Aisha screamed too, but out of excitement. Unlike Norn, she clapped her hands and then smiled at the explosion.

And as for the person who caused that explosion...

"Owowow." Master Roxy winced and then rubbed her legs. "Is it because they're younger...? That's not fair. Landing like this hurts a lot..."

*sching...*

Shortly after the explosion, a few more thuds echoed as frozen slabs of meat landed on the ground.

Master Roxy glanced over and then let out a relieved smile. "At least that worked. But why are my knees so sore...?"

Silence.

*s-sching...*

Mercy rippled and then flew over to Master Roxy's shoulder and tugged on her collar.

"Hm?" Master Roxy looked up and then froze.

Mom's eye started twitching as she looked at the devastated scenery.

Rostelina covered her face, holding back a laugh.

Seeing Master Roxy suddenly turn red in embarrassment, I couldn't help it. I laughed.

And then everything got quiet. Not only that, but everyone turned to look at me.

I felt my face heat up and looked to the side. "W-What? It was funny."