Kousuke’s idea was incredibly simple.
“What?”
Upon hearing his idea, Floria’s expression shifted to one of slight surprise, but she quickly nodded in understanding.
“I see, certainly… no, but, can it work? No, it might be able to work.”
“Ah, good. It was just a passing thought, so I was worried about whether it would actually pan out.”
Kousuke’s idea was purely theoretical, and he had no guarantee it would work in practice.
Just eliciting the words “it might be able to work” from Floria was enough to provide ample room for consideration.
If he had been outright told it was impossible at this stage, Kousuke had intended to give up easily.
Kousuke’s idea was, quite simply, to have Zero write a report on slimes.
Normally, such reports would earn points and help rank up once one officially became a Tamer Guild member.
However, Zero was too young to join the Guild, so writing such a report would be meaningless.
Furthermore, if they were to write something like that carelessly, there was a possibility it could be suppressed by someone or stolen.
It would be better to let him continue his current life and submit the report properly after registering with the Guild.
However, with that method, Zero’s talent might be crushed simply because he was an orphan.
In that case, it would be faster for Kousuke to take him in. But taking in a child he had only known for two days was too much responsibility.
Financially, there was no problem, but it wasn’t an easy decision to bear the weight of another person’s life.
If all his wives had finished raising their children, there might have been a possibility of adopting him.
However, that was only a possibility, not a certainty.
Therefore, Kousuke came up with the idea of having Zero submit the report.
Since Zero was an orphan, they would first need to confirm if he could write at all. If not, they would have to start by teaching him writing.
They would even have to teach him how to write a report, but he considered these as necessary expenses.
One might wonder why Kousuke would go to such lengths, but he could only describe it as a hobby.
Kousuke had already accepted that he couldn’t help but be curious, so he had dismissed any such doubts.
Sylvia and Floria already understood Kousuke’s thinking.
That was why they had seriously considered and answered whether the loophole Kousuke had devised could be implemented.
Floria had then given her answer.
Now, it was Sylvia’s turn.
Kousuke, showing a slight look of relief, was asked by Sylvia what she was wondering about.
“It’s fine for Kousuke to accept the report and provide compensation for it, but what will happen to the report itself?”
“Of course, I’ll submit it to the Tamer Guild. With my name listed alongside his.”
Depending on how one looked at it, it might seem like Kousuke was stealing research. However, it was far better than submitting it under the name of a boy not even registered with the Guild. Also, Kousuke had no intention of stealing Zero’s research results, so he didn’t care what outsiders might say. He just wanted Zero to understand that.
Sylvia understood this well, so that wasn’t what she wanted to ask.
“Will that name be as ‘Kousuke-sama’ or as ‘Kousuke-san’?”
When Sylvia asked this, Floria also looked at Kousuke with a surprised expression.
It was a subtle nuance that those not accustomed to Sylvia’s way of addressing people wouldn’t notice, but it represented a significant difference, like a vast chasm.
Sylvia’s question was asking whether he would back Zero as an Avatar or simply help him as a Tamer.
“Hmm. Well, perhaps eventually as a god would be fine, but for now, as a Tamer, wouldn’t that be sufficient?”
Kousuke answered relatively lightly to Sylvia’s weighty question. After all, if Zero’s talent was genuine, he would likely become independent on his own without Kousuke needing to reveal himself as an Avatar.
Kousuke’s answer made Sylvia sigh in relief.
“Is that so?”
“Huh? Is that something to be so relieved about?”
“Kousuke. You don’t seem to be taking this very seriously, but I think it’s best not to use the name of a god so casually.”
Floria admonished him, and Kousuke offered a wry smile.
“No, I understand that well… or rather, can’t you tell from my usual behavior?”
Kousuke was famously reclusive, to the point where he could be called a shut-in. Considering that, Sylvia and Floria’s concerns seemed somewhat excessive.
However, to Kousuke’s statement, Sylvia and Floria exchanged glances before replying.
“Because we don’t know what you might do if push comes to shove.”
“But I’m judging based on the results of your usual actions?”
“Guh.”
Kousuke was speechless, unable to retort, as they both spoke almost simultaneously. Regardless of Kousuke’s intentions or thoughts, the outcome had resulted in actions befitting a god, a fact he could not deny.
Gazing intently at him, Kousuke immediately gave up on arguing.
“W-well, putting that aside, shouldn’t we first approach Zero and ask him?”
At his rather obvious attempt to change the subject, Sylvia and Floria exchanged glances once more before nodding.
“That would be good, wouldn’t it?”
“Indeed. For now, it’s about whether he can write, isn’t it?”
He had no intention of making an unreasonable demand of a child to produce a report out of the blue. First, he wanted to see if the child could write, and then he planned to carefully teach him how to write reports.
Once the general direction was decided, Kousuke and the others acted quickly. Since it was already late that day, they would visit the orphanage the following day. It would be impossible to register as a Tamer immediately, so the initial approach would be as a researcher. While there’s the issue of whether the child can write a proper report, Kousuke’s guidance would naturally be involved. We will pretend not to hear the comment that it seems like ultimately he’s taking on a child, lol.
*Next update will be on 7/24.
