Seiya and Shia returned to the mansion with Silvia and Colette, and seeing Kousuke there brought a happy expression to their faces.
“Father, you were here?”
“I thought you had returned!”
Since Kousuke rarely came to the new mansion on the Fifth Floor, Seiya and Shia had assumed he had returned to the Management Layer.
“No, I was waiting for you two to arrive,” Kousuke replied with a slight bitter smile at their words.
Both of them understood that Kousuke couldn’t easily go out, so they knew he wouldn’t be able to visit them.
Still, Kousuke felt a sense of loneliness at Seiya and Shia, who didn’t voice any childish complaints.
Perhaps it was because of the environment where monsters appeared, or maybe it was just how things were in this world, but Kousuke felt that the children’s spiritual growth was very rapid.
This was precisely why Kousuke felt lonely, but he decided not to show it and instead asked about what had been on his mind since they met.
“More importantly, you both look tired, did something happen?”
When Kousuke asked, Seiya and Shia looked at each other at the same time.
They hadn’t expected to be able to hide it forever, but they hadn’t anticipated being found out so soon.
Furthermore, seeing their reaction, Kousuke offered a bitter smile.
“Well, if you make that kind of face, it’s obvious,” Kousuke replied casually. He hadn’t used any special abilities.
Kousuke’s perspective was that he wasn’t with them all the time like an ordinary parent, but he had been watching them since they were born.
Even if children try to hide things, adults can usually figure most of it out.
However, this was a feeling he only had after becoming a parent; before that, he couldn’t tell from a child’s expression.
Perhaps it was a unique sensibility that only Kousuke possessed from having observed so many of his own children.
With embarrassed expressions on their faces, Seiya and Shia, realizing they couldn’t hide it any longer, began to recount what had happened at the academy.
After listening to their story, Kousuke nodded with a look of understanding.
“Ah, I see. Is it possible that you are like mother and child in that regard as well?”
“Eh!?”
At Kousuke’s remark, Seiya and Shia looked at Colette with surprised expressions.
Colette herself looked flustered.
“Hey! Are you really saying that now?”
Colette had wanted to maintain an air of adult composure, but Kousuke had easily exposed her.
She had mentioned that she would gradually get used to conversations at the academy, but she hadn’t said that she had adopted an attitude similar to the children’s. Her composure from just moments before was completely ruined.
Seiya and Shia smirked at Colette’s reaction, but Kousuke gently bonked them both on the head.
“Hey now. You shouldn’t look at your mother like that. At least, wait until you’ve properly overcome such things yourselves before doing that.”
Kousuke cautioned them, anticipating that they would have outgrown such behavior by then. After all, everyone goes through it to some extent with experience.
However, Kousuke had something else that concerned him.
“I see. Still, was it that difficult for both of you? Perhaps we need to think about this a bit more seriously.”
“Yes. For me and Colette, today was manageable, but I don’t think we can handle this every day going forward,” Silvia said, nodding in agreement with Kousuke.
Although Silvia had calmly endured the gazes earlier, the reality was that she couldn’t bear it every day.
Silvia’s statement prompted Kousuke to cross his arms in thought.
“Hmm. Still, I’d rather not have them rely too much on tools…”
Seiya and Shia’s eyes widened at his words.
“Huh!? Can it be solved with tools?”
“Is there something that convenient?”
Kousuke nodded with a matter-of-fact expression at their surprise.
“Yes, there is. After all, it’s an essential ability for reconnaissance and related tasks.”
There were various magic tools that could be made to avoid attention, such as those that conceal one’s presence or make one invisible. However, Kousuke had held back from giving them such tools because relying on them would prevent them from ever getting used to people’s gazes. This was not merely a gut feeling; he had experienced it with Colette and Silvia when he first met them.
Silvia and Colette, who had actually used such tools, nodded almost simultaneously upon hearing Kousuke’s words.
“Yes. It’s probably best to stop using those.”
“Indeed. It’s truly a last resort, but it’s better to refrain from it during this growth period.”
With Silvia and Colette’s firm assertion, Seiya and Shia fell silent. They understood that the situation was truly dire.
This was because using concealment tools made one completely detached from the gazes of others. Consequently, anyone who wasn’t undergoing special training and used such tools tended to develop a skewed sense of perception. Both Silvia and Colette, having used them extensively, understood this firsthand. Kousuke, who had made these tools at their request, had even sealed them away as a result. He certainly wouldn’t consider giving them to children in their formative years.
Nevertheless, Kousuke wanted to do something for Seiya and Shia, who wore expressions of despair, to put it mildly.
“Hmm. Relying on tools requires special training… Hmm? Training?”
Kousuke paused at his own words, but Colette, who was listening nearby, immediately responded.
“I understand what you’re implying, but that training is too specialized; I don’t think it’s possible to master it now.”
“No, no. Not that kind of training. Instead of getting used to not being seen, don’t you know a way to get used to being seen?”
Kousuke didn’t specify who he was referring to, but it seemed to be understood by Silvia and Colette, as they looked at each other and nodded simultaneously.
“Yes, there is.”
“Indeed. We received quite a bit of advice ourselves.”
Succubi, in particular, undergo various training to attract attention or, conversely, to avoid it, as they often undertake clandestine jobs. Naturally, Peach, who had received such training, had given Colette and Silvia numerous pieces of advice. Kousuke had completely forgotten about this until now because Seiya and Shia hadn’t had much trouble with people’s gazes previously. When they moved into this house, they had naturally adapted, so it hadn’t been a pressing issue.
However, in a place with as many people as the academy, they couldn’t afford to be so leisurely. Realizing the urgent need for countermeasures, Kousuke and the others immediately consulted Peach. Kousuke had sensed the slight fear Seiya and Shia were experiencing.
Next time, they will hold a little training session (?) with a specialist (?).
