Kousuke, watching Mia happily cross in front of him, suddenly noticed the magic tool in her hand.
“Ah, Mia. Is that magic tool useful?”
The magic tool Mia was holding allowed one to see status.
After he had been asked to increase the number of them, including for the women, he hadn’t checked at all how they were being used.
“Of course. Father, you can see your own status directly, so you might not realize it, but there’s a big difference between being able to see an opponent’s status and not being able to, you know?”
“Well, I suppose that’s true.”
Mia had forgotten, but Kousuke came from a world without status in the first place.
He understood the convenience of having and being able to see status without anyone having to tell him.
Even so, the reason he asked such a thing earlier was because he wanted to know if the tools he had made were being used and appreciated properly.
He didn’t think that a magic tool that allowed one to see an opponent’s status would be useless, but as a creator, he couldn’t help but feel anxious when there was no reaction.
Kousuke didn’t voice these thoughts, but Mia, perhaps sensing his feelings from his expression, looked at him intently.
“…Even though it’s such a convenient tool, you still worry?”
“Well, that’s… no, rather, it’s precisely because of that.”
Feeling embarrassed that his daughter could read his mind, Kousuke started to offer an excuse, but then stopped and decided to state the reason clearly.
“Even if I make something because someone says it’s convenient, if a tool I built with confidence isn’t being used, it’s still sad, you know.”
The more confidence he had, the greater the loneliness he felt when he realized it wasn’t being used.
Moreover, when he found out that someone close to him wasn’t using it, that loneliness doubled.
“Father’s worries are unfounded. If we thought it was unusable, including myself, I’m sure we would have reported it immediately.”
Mia told Kousuke that not saying anything after receiving something meant it was being used properly, and Kousuke smiled.
“Well, that’s certainly true.”
Kousuke also had to agree with that point.
However, the desire to hear something was simply the selfishness of a creator.
The mother joined their father-daughter conversation.
“What? You were worried about that? Besides, if a tool is deemed useless, doesn’t everyone immediately say so?”
“That’s true, but…”
Regarding the tools Kousuke made, more often than not, the management layer members were the first to see them, so any tool deemed unusable was immediately rejected.
Conversely, if it wasn’t rejected at that point, it meant there was no problem.
Of course, there were always dissatisfactions and improvements that came up while using them.
In such cases, they were reported properly.
Considering that, the tools that continued to be used without any report were being used precisely because there were no problems.
Still looking subtly unconvinced, Floria continued, sounding exasperated.
“Besides, Kousuke, you’re constantly making new tools, aren’t you? You’re so busy with new critiques that you probably don’t bother to mention tools that have become commonplace to use.”
Mia nodded vigorously in agreement with Floria’s explanation.
In the first place, if a tool was unusable or difficult to use, they would discuss the points of improvement so that it could be modified to be easier to use.
However, once the improvements were complete and it could be used without any awkwardness, it became a natural part of their lives, and it often didn’t even register in their consciousness.
This meant that the improved tools were very easy to use, but Kousuke felt uneasy, wondering if they had been forgotten.
He understood in his mind that no report was the best outcome, but he still felt a sense of loneliness.
“I suppose so.”
Floria and Mia exchanged glances at Kousuke’s words, which were exhaled with a sigh.
By this point, they realized something was slightly off with Kousuke.
The two made eye contact and, in that moment, wondered if something had happened to Kousuke, but nothing came to mind.
Confirming this solely through their gazes and expressions, Floria and Mia then turned their attention to Kouhi, who was listening to their conversation beside them.
Kouhi, who was looked at by the two, also had nothing specific that came to mind and shook her head left and right.
This all happened in a matter of a few seconds.
It was an exchange that went unnoticed by Kousuke, but it yielded no fruitful results.
Floria, giving up inwardly, decided to ask Kousuke directly.
“…Did something happen?”
Seeing Floria ask with concern, Kousuke blinked in surprise.
“No, not really?”
As far as Kousuke was concerned, he had simply voiced what he felt.
However, at least concerning the magic tools, they had never heard such a dispirited (?) remark from Kousuke before.
That’s why Floria and Mia thought something might have happened to Kousuke.
Finally realizing that he had somehow caused a misunderstanding from their expressions, Kousuke scratched the tip of his nose with a sheepish look.
“Ah, it seems I said something that could be misunderstood, but really, nothing is wrong, so don’t worry.”
Floria stared intently at Kousuke as he said this.
Then, realizing there was no lie in his words, Floria’s expression relaxed.
“If that’s the case, then it’s fine… But then why were you so down?”
Floria tilted her head slightly, still bothered by Kousuke’s dispirited remark.
However, Kousuke was surprised by Floria’s words.
“Down? No, I didn’t mean to sound like that at all!?”
From Kousuke’s perspective, he was simply verbalizing his feelings and had no idea his words were being taken as dispirited.
Seeing Kousuke’s reaction, Floria and Mia looked apologetic.
“Sorry. It’s my fault for asking something unnecessary in the first place…”
“No, in this case, I’m at fault too…”
Seeing their repentant attitudes, Kousuke waved his hands as if flustered.
“No, I’m sorry. I was just surprised, I’m not angry. So, it’s not like anyone is to blame.”
As Kousuke said this, Floria and Mia visibly relaxed.
Seeing this, Kousuke tilted his head inwardly.
He couldn’t believe that his words and actions so far had caused them to react that way.
Kousuke pondered for a moment, but then, seeing Kouhi standing behind him, he suddenly realized something.
“…An act?”
As Kousuke murmurs this, Floria and Mia subtly averted their gazes from him.
He didn’t know how much was genuine and how much was an act.
However, Kousuke understood that at least the part where they were repenteant was an act.
“Honestly…”
Kousuke sighed as he watched the two deliberately avoid his gaze.
He thought they didn’t need to put on a show of mother-child bonding at a time like this, but he didn’t voice it.
This was a slice-of-life story after a long time.
