*Click.*
“Hmm. Entertainment for Mia’s enjoyment? ・・・・・・ I can’t think of anything right away.”
— *Click.*
“That’s probably true. I can’t think of anything either.”
―――― *Click.*
“Eh? If the King can’t think of anything, I think it’s impossible for me to come up with something?”
“Ah, so you think so, too?”
Kousuke interrupted Schmidt and Towa’s conversation and chimed in.
At Kousuke’s words, both of them nodded simultaneously.
By the way, the *click-click* sound Towa and Schmidt had been making was the sound of them moving the pieces of Heirokki.
Kousuke wasn’t familiar with Heirokki, but judging by their demeanor, he could tell they were having a close match. The fact that they were both taking a long time to think was another clue.
He had asked them about entertainment because of a recent incident, but as expected, he didn’t get any favorable answers. He had thought that Towa, if not Schmidt, might come up with something, but it seemed he was being too optimistic.
“For Mia, she was always able to handle things smoothly from her student days. Conversely, that might have hindered her from developing deep interests that could become hobbies.”
“Wow. Could it be that it’s a drawback of having talent?”
Kousuke looked exasperated at Mia’s rather luxurious problem (?).
This was something Kousuke had never experienced in his previous world, and frankly, not something he could even imagine since coming to this world. Conversely, for Towa to be able to empathize with Mia’s feelings, it implied he must have had similar experiences somewhere. It felt incredibly strange to think of them as his children, but he decided that their talents didn’t seem to have been inherited from their father. However, if current Kousuke were to voice that thought, he would undoubtedly be met with glares. Fortunately, Kousuke didn’t say anything at that moment, so he avoided any criticism.
At Kousuke’s words, Schmidt’s expression became ambiguous, unsure whether to smile or give a wry smile.
“From my perspective, it sounds like a luxurious problem.”
“No, I’m not so sure? At least she’s not conscious of it being a problem herself, so I don’t think she sees it as a worry at all.”
At Towa’s blunt words, Schmidt returned a clear wry smile this time.
A silence fell as each of them pondered their thoughts. For a brief moment, only the sound of Heirokki pieces being moved echoed in the room.
Since the conversation had stalled, Kousuke, who hadn’t really expected a proper answer anyway, changed the subject.
“By the way, Schmidt, is it alright for you to be relaxing here? Isn’t the work of the Merchant Division Superintendent busy?”
“It is busy, but most of the actual work has been delegated to each Division Head. It’s not that the workload has increased compared to before.”
As a result of the great reform of the Crown, Schmidt had been promoted to Merchant Division Superintendent. This meant that the heads of each division were responsible for managing the Division Heads in each continent, and their practical duties had definitely decreased. However, this also meant they were involved in establishing branches on continents other than the Central Continent, so the work hadn’t actually decreased.
Kousuke, who hadn’t delved into the details, looked convinced by Schmidt’s explanation.
“Oh. Is that so?”
“Father, were you not involved?”
Towa asked with a puzzled look, having assumed Kousuke had orchestrated the grand reform of the Crown.
“No, I was hardly involved in this matter. Rather, I just went along with what Wahid and the others said.”
While there were some inaccuracies in the specifics, he had no intention of explaining them in detail. Towa seemed to understand this and didn’t ask for further specifics. He simply nodded and said, “I see” to Kousuke’s words.
Towa had something else he wanted to mention.
“That’s all well and good, but Riku, who was put on a pedestal, is in a difficult situation, isn’t he?”
“No, no. We didn’t exactly put anyone on a pedestal. It just happened to be the right timing.”
“Oh. Is that so? It was just the timing?”
Kousuke turned his face away at Towa’s words, which held a great deal of implied meaning.
Towa attempted to continue his words with that momentum, but an attack came from an unexpected direction.
“Hey. Don’t shift the blame to your father for your own inadequacy.”
“…That hurts, Mother.”
Towa, who had been quiet until then, was lightly slapped on the head by Floria. He dramatically clutched his head. Only a very select few could casually strike the head of Towa, the King of a nation. Floria was undoubtedly one of them.
“Honestly. After showing your face for the first time in a while, you come to complain to your father?”
“How unpleasant. Precisely because it’s been a while, I have to say what needs to be said, don’t I?”
Floria seemed amused by Towa’s unusual engagement.
“Oh? Well, that’s good to hear. Since it’s been a while for me too, shall I complain to you, Towa?”
“Eh? What!? Is that how it’s going to be?”
Towa’s expression turned flustered at the unexpected counterattack. He had never really been complained to by Floria before, so he had no idea what kind of complaint she might have.
Floria gave Towa a knowing smile, deliberately stroking her chin.
“Let’s see. For example, how about when you wet yourself while I was holding you?”
“Hey!?”
“You also used to cry because you couldn’t stop wetting the bed…”
“Ugh!?”
“And you threw a tantrum, wanting to be with Kousuke forever…”
“Whoa, okay! I concede. I won’t say any more things to complain about!”
To prevent further embarrassing anecdotes from his childhood being exposed, Towa frantically tried to stop Floria.
“Is that so? I have many other things…”
Floria, with the smile of a victor, then dropped her shoulders in defeat.
Seeing Towa like that, Kousuke offered a smile tinged with sympathy.
“Well, men can never win against their mothers, no matter how old they get. I think you made the right choice to surrender early,” he said, his words being of questionable comfort.
Towa turned a sullen face towards Kousuke.
“…Father, is that true for you too?”
“Ah~, I wonder. Perhaps there were such times?”
As Kousuke said that, the atmosphere around them somehow became a bit awkward.
Kousuke, sensing the subtle shift, then continued with an expression that suggested he didn’t mind.
“Well, I don’t mind you coming to complain, so visit me here a bit more. That way, Floria won’t be lonely either.”
“…And the result of her loneliness is exposing my childhood memories?”
“That’s a parent’s privilege, you know. You just have to accept it.”
As Kousuke said that, Schmidt, who had been listening nearby, nodded vigorously for some reason. It seemed he had witnessed many similar situations himself.
With someone older than him saying that, Towa had no room to argue. In the end, Towa lost the game of Heirokki that continued with Schmidt and returned to the castle that day in a rather dismal state. However, the fact that his face seemed somewhat brighter was likely not just Floria’s imagination.
Although I wrote this story, I barely have any memories of my parents telling me such things. (I do have some, though. I vaguely recall similar stories being told… or maybe not?) What about you all?
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My new work, “Let’s Learn and Spread Magic in Another World,” is updated daily. Today marks the start of a new chapter. (￣▽￣)
