I was moved. I cried. I was shaken. In this short span of time, my heart was racing at an incredible pace. The reason goes without saying: I was present at Rion’s graduation ceremony. Nothing more, nothing less. But then again, any sort of impulse is somewhat soothed by time, and I’ve now regained a decent amount of composure. My father-in-law is the same. Just a moment ago, his distress was affecting his speech, and he couldn’t even talk properly, but now he seems to be okay. Ah, it was good, it was good. After all, humans need to view things from a certain perspective to properly assess them. This current state of mind is just right. Well, I am a demon, and my father-in-law is the King of Evil Gods, but still.
And so, where are we, this calm me and my father-in-law, along with Mel, who procured an abundance of food from the surrounding stalls, headed? It goes without saying, towards Rion, who, having finished her graduation ceremony, is likely bidding farewell to her friends. The reasons are twofold: first, I want to offer a word of greeting to the friends who were good to Rion this past year, and second, I wanted to praise Rion herself. And above all else—I must resolve the issue of Kuromel, who will remain at the academy as a current student. Yes, now that I’ve composed myself, I recall that my preparedness meant I had already devised a solution. Ah, I was careless, careless indeed.
“My foolish son.”
“Yes, you are here.”
“Munch munch!”
Since we were tracking Rion and Kuromel’s presence, it didn’t take long to find them. As expected, Rion, graduating from the academy, was surrounded by her friends along with Bel and Dorothy, and Kuromel was also among them, seeing them off.
“…Rion wearing the graduate’s mantle, how nice.”
“Indeed. Bel is more sensible than ever. Had she not run out of tears, I would have been submerged in a sea of emotion here.”
“Chomp chomp!!”
I should savor Rion’s splendid appearance while I can. Once we enter the sight of her friends, I cannot afford to make a fool of myself as her Older Brother. What? You say I already made a fool of myself enough within the academy earlier? Hahaha, well, perhaps in some aspects. But the foolishness I and my father-in-law displayed was only towards the important figures, unknown to us, who were waiting for an opportunity to speak to us. The students of the academy were gathered in a different area to see off the graduates, so there was no chance of Rion’s friends noticing.
“Father-in-law, from here on, I will be serious, okay?”
“My foolish son, that is my line. You, on the other hand, do not do anything that would tarnish Bel’s name, alright?”
“Gulp!”
“…Excuse me, Mel-san? I’m planning to be serious now, so could you please store the large amount of food you’re holding somewhere in Kuroto’s ‘storage’ for the time being…”
I should caution Mel now, who has been creating quite a racket.
“Rest assured, I ate everything with that last gulp. I can go into my former Goddess mode anytime.”
“…”
As Mel said, the large amount of food she was holding had completely vanished. As always, her eating was enchanting. To think she finished it at a speed I couldn’t even match… Well, well, in any case, the lingering concern has been resolved. Now I can finally call out to Rion and the others without reservation. Come on, let’s go!
“Rion! Kuromel!”
“Ah, Older Kel!”
“Papa!”
The moment I called out, Rion and Kuromel dashed towards me. Alright, alright, I gently petted their heads with both hands, welcoming them. Beside me, my father-in-law was looking enviously at Bel, but Bel completely ignored his gaze—well, that’s how it is.
“Rion, congratulations on your graduation. And graduating with skipping grades, too! Your older brother is endlessly surprised. Did you enjoy your life at the academy?”
“Yes, very much! It was a continuous stream of irreplaceable days, and I made so many memories! Of course, I also made dear friends, and studying was fun too!”
“That’s wonderful. I’m glad I sent Rion to Lumiest.”
“Yes, for indulging my selfishness, thank you, Older Kel.”
Saying this, Rion gave me a smile that was a thousand, no, ten thousand times more embarrassed than perfect. This is bad, it’s bad, the destructive power is immense, it’s a pandemic…! The mask armor I had so rigidly set up to appear cool is already on the verge of shattering. No, even if this were a fatal blow, I cannot afford to lose here. I cannot!
“…Fufu, seeing that smile is reward enough. We’ll discuss your memories when we have time… Kuromel, Rion and Bel are graduating before you, but will your remaining academy life be alright?”
“Um, of course, I’ll miss them… But I’ve made many friends too, you know? To make Papa feel at ease, Kuromel has been trying her best. So, um… I’ll be okay from now on, yes!”
Mmm! Kuromel said, puffing up cutely to show her determination. I’m barely maintaining my outward composure, but inwardly, her earnestness is striking me down. A relentless barrage. Who is this little goddess? Actually, she’s my beloved daughter! I want to boast about it. I really, truly want to boast. But right now, the students of the academy are looking right at me. Therefore, I must endure, endure, meeee!
“H-hey, everyone? Is that person perhaps… Rion-kun’s Older Brother, and Kuromel-kun’s Papa, Kelvin— no, Kelvin-shi? Is this just Charles Ai misidentifying him?”
“Whether it is or not, he is indeed that Kelvin. You were the one fighting me at the end of the versus match, weren’t you?”
“Mmm-hmm, seeing him up close, his strength is even more apparent. Just like Bak-dono, who fought me, S-Rank Adventurers possess a tremendous aura from their very presence…!”
“T-That’s true…! S-So, the super beautiful woman next to Kelvin-shi, is she perhaps…!?”
“Whether she is or not, she’s Mel-chan, his wife? Look, she vaguely resembles Kuromel too!”
“Kuromel-kun’s Mama, you say!? No wonder she’s so beautiful— no, isn’t she young? Isn’t she not much older than us!? No, wait a minute!? And the intimidating man next to her, I’m getting such immense pressure from him!? I feel like he’s glaring at me intensely!? Is it just my imagination? It is my imagination, right!? Who even is he!?”
“Ah, that’s my Papa.”
“…Huh?”
“I said, he’s my Papa. He seems to be worried if some bad influence might attach itself to me with some foolish notion. Well, I don’t think he’ll cause any harm, so don’t worry.”
“Uh, eeeh…”
It seems Rion and Kuromel’s friends are not viewing us in a strange light. Rather, I feel gazes of respect, or that kind of sentiment, from their eyes. Good, the first impression is positive!
However, one of the friends seems quite disturbed. Why— Ahh, it’s because of my father-in-law’s intense aura. Father-in-law, you shouldn’t make such a scary face at students. Huh, from that disturbed child, I’m sensing some sort of flirtatious presence? …Ah, it’s true. Is this that thing you call a bad influence? Since Kuromel will remain at the academy, that becomes a target for immediate elimination. What shall we do? Shall we eliminate him? Shall we eliminate him quickly before any mistakes are made? I’ll gladly help, Father-in-law?
“Your Excellency, please calm down a little?”
“Me too, Papa. Why are you emitting killing intent within the academy?”
“Gah…!”
Along with those words, which came from nowhere, Mel struck the back of my father-in-law’s head with immense force. It seems my father-in-law was also hit, as the one dealing with him was Bel— Right, we’ve calmed down. My apologies…
