Riku visited the management layer for the first time in a while.
Riku, who juggles his work as an academy student and an adventurer, leads a busy life and doesn’t have much time to visit.
“Mother Peach, training…”
“No way!”
Unable to finish his sentence, Riku blinked in surprise. He had received training from Peach whenever he had time before, so he never expected her to refuse.
“Uhh… Why?”
“Why, you ask? Riku, aren’t you communicating with Towa and Mia?”
Sensing that Riku didn’t know about Peach’s pregnancy, Kousuke asked curiously, seeing Riku’s reaction. Towa and Mia should have already heard from Kousuke and know about Peach.
“Uhh, I’ve been busy, so not much…?”
Riku averted his eyes as if to evade the question, prompting Kousuke to sigh.
“I understand Towa is busy and can’t spare time, but at least talk to Mia.”
“Huh? Does that mean I’m free?”
Mia, who happened to not be at Little Amamiya Tower, interrupted the conversation.
“It’s not like that. You can usually talk if you come here, right?”
“That’s true, but telling my brother, who barely shows his face, to talk to me is unreasonable, isn’t it?”
Unconvinced by Kousuke’s answer, Mia looked at him with a dissatisfied expression.
Seeing Kousuke and Mia’s reactions, Riku, sensing that the conversation wouldn’t progress, forcefully intervened.
“So, why is it no good?”
“Because Mother Peach is pregnant.”
Riku blinked in surprise at Mia’s concise answer.
“…Huh?!”
“No, that reaction is actually hurtful?”
Kousuke frowned at Riku’s surprised reaction. Seeing this, Riku hastily waved both hands.
“S-Sorry! I didn’t mean it like that, I was just a little surprised or something, huh? Am I not helping…?”
As Riku dug himself deeper with every word, Mia looked at him with an exasperated expression.
“Couldn’t you at least say you were surprised because there were no such signs?”
“! Yes, that’s it!”
At Mia’s words, Riku clapped his hands together as if he had a revelation, causing Kousuke and Mia to roll their eyes.
They moved to the Lounge Space in the management layer.
“I don’t mind on my end, but the others say ‘No!'”
After hearing Riku’s story, Floria forcefully interrupted Peach, who was speaking at her usual pace.
“…So, it’s like this, so it’s no use. Give up on training.”
“Honestly, I understand it can’t be helped, but Peach, you’re underestimating pregnancy too much!”
Floria glared at Peach with a slightly flushed face.
“And Riku, you too! Men should be more considerate in these situations!”
Riku, finding the blame directed at him, flinched and hunched his neck as Floria scolded him.
Peach, who had been watching the mother and child’s exchange idly, clapped her hands.
“I can’t do it, so why not ask Shurein?”
“Me?”
Shurein, suddenly finding herself the subject of the conversation, looked slightly surprised.
“Well, I don’t mind, but is Riku okay with that?”
“Me? I… should I?”
Riku tilted his head, unsure. He didn’t really know the extent of Shurein’s power in the first place. He couldn’t judge whether it was good or bad in such a state. Riku looked around with a perplexed expression and met Kousuke’s grinning gaze.
“…Well, since Shurein is willing, why not have a practice match first?”
Riku felt a bad premonition from Kousuke’s ambiguous expression, but since the opportunity was there, he decided to have a practice match with Shurein.
They moved again to the training space where Riku usually trained with Peach. As Shurein wielded a practice sword, Kousuke offered advice (?).
“Shurein, you know this, but no magic, okay?”
“Hmm? Is that so? Right.”
Shurein made a ‘forgotten’ face, and Riku started to break out in a cold sweat. Riku knew Shurein was talented in magic. He had also heard from Kousuke at some point that Shurein could defeat high-level monsters alone using magic. It was unlikely that Riku could even stand against Shurein in such a state. Riku’s perception was mistaken at this point, but he would soon realize it.
* * *
*Thump!*
The sound of Riku rolling echoed in the training space.
“Hmm. It happened as I thought.”
“Riku has been trying hard lately, but he’s still got a ways to go.”
Kousuke and Peach chatted idly, while Floria nodded in agreement.
“I mean, can’t Riku at least gauge his opponent’s strength?”
“Well, in this case, the opponent is too strong. After all, she’s a Vampire.”
A Vampire, once known as a dark familiar. They are very skilled at concealing their presence and power. Moreover, Shurein possesses the highest level of power among them. It would be too much to expect Riku to contend with that, even with his growth.
“Wearing clothes like that, you wouldn’t normally expect her to be strong with a sword.”
Shurein, Riku’s current opponent, wore her usual simple (?) dress, which she always used as casual wear. Yet, she not only kept up with Riku’s movements but surpassed them. To Riku, it must have seemed like a joke. Not only Peach and Shurein, but the women around Kousuke had significantly improved their basic movements since they started training in the use of divine power.
“From my perspective, it’s normal.”
“Well, that’s understandable if you’re doing espionage work.”
When infiltrating the upper echelons of a country for espionage, attending parties in a dress is common. Fighting in such attire is rare but not impossible. Of course, they train in dresses. Peach had peculiar skills in unexpected areas.
While Kousuke and his companions were leisurely discussing their practice match, Riku was feeling a bit disgruntled internally. If he were to put his feelings into words, it would be: “Why do the women around Father have strength that doesn’t match their appearance?” Moreover, Shurein, standing before him, said something unbelievable to Riku while tilting her head.
“Hmm… getting used to handling a sword? Shall I show you my true strength? …Just kidding.”
Watching Shurein move her sword lightly and look at him, Riku mentally screamed, “She’s definitely serious!” However, since he was the one who requested the training, he couldn’t stop Shurein, who was motivated. In the end, Riku was made to endure even more intense training than he had with Peach, thanks to Shurein’s renewed enthusiasm. The women, having already reached A Rank in individual strength, are still unmatched by Riku. This includes Silvia and Floria (who use barriers and attack with magic when they see an opening, just like Kousuke).
