The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
Five days after starting the renovation work—
The construction was complete, and our new home was finished.
“Ooooohhhhhh!!”
The worn-out exterior walls had been fully repaired and replaced with beautiful, sturdy ones.
New rooms were added, and both a basement and a rooftop were built.
Behind the house, there was a training ground.
On the side, there was a pond and a lush natural space where you could relax peacefully.
Everyone’s ideas had been packed into this new home, and their eyes sparkled as they gazed at it.
“Amazing! Our home has become incredibly luxurious!”
“It’s not just clean now — there’s more greenery than before, and it’s wonderful.”
“Mama… same room…”
“Rain, can I come in?”
The younger ones looked at me with excited, expectant faces.
It seemed they couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Of course.”
“Everyone, let’s go!”
“Yeah!!”
Led by Sora, everyone rushed into the house.
Even Kanade and Finia joined in, clearly having fun.
“Aren’t they getting a little too excited?”
“Ah, let ‘em. How often does your own home get this fancy? It’s natural to be thrilled, ya know?”
Tania and Tina were calm about it.
But judging by the way Tania’s tail was swishing, she was just as excited deep down.
“I’m going to check out the rooftop.”
“Oh, I’m curious about the rooftop too.”
“Shall we go together?”
“Sure, I’ll come with you.”
With that, Tania and Iris spread their wings and soared straight to the rooftop.
Using such a shortcut…
Truly a privilege only for those with wings.
“Sakura, what about you…?”
“On! On on on!”
“Alright, let’s go!”
Before I could even finish asking, Sakura was already sprinting off,
with the doll-sized version of Tina riding on her back.
Ride on.
The two of them ran around the wide, freshly manicured yard like one being — horse and rider.
“Everyone sure is lively…”
That said, I couldn’t blame them.
Facing this newly rebuilt home, I too felt a flutter of excitement and anticipation.
Though… since everyone else was already running around full throttle,
I felt like I’d missed my timing.
But just sitting here, watching them have so much fun, wasn’t bad either…
I relaxed in the gentle breeze, feeling at ease.
“Rain.”
I turned to see Nokia, smiling softly.
“Rain, aren’t you going to look around the new house?”
“I’ll take a look a little later. Right now, I just want to sit here and watch everyone enjoying themselves.”
“Hehe…”
“What is it?”
“Oh, sorry. You just… looked like a grandpa watching over his grandchildren.”
“…Hmm.”
That was… a little awkward.
I couldn’t quite deny it, but…
Still, being called a grandpa at my age was just too much.
“By the way… was it really okay for me to live here too? I heard you even had Nina’s room expanded just for me…”
“Of course it’s okay. There’s no question about it.”
Nokia had decided to live with us.
She still worried about Fon, but…
For now, she wanted to stay close to Nina.
She’d asked if she could stay, and I’d immediately agreed.
“Lately Nina has been so much brighter and more cheerful… and I think that’s because you’re here with her. She’s still so young, she really needs you around.”
“Yes. I want to stay with her forever, too. Thank you, Rain. Thank you for giving me this time with my daughter.”
“Please… don’t bow your head like that.”
I just did what I wanted to do — being thanked so sincerely actually left me feeling a bit awkward.
“And… since I have the chance, could I ask you one more thing?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“Why did you decide to renovate the house? It’s true it was getting a bit cramped, but… it still seemed livable as it was…”
“Well…”
The reason I renovated the house wasn’t just for convenience.
It was also because…
“This house… is a very important place.”
“The house?”
“How should I put it… I want to make this the place everyone can come back to. From here on, we might face unimaginable hardships. Or maybe… a time will come when everyone is scattered.”
“…That’s…”
“Of course, if something like that happens, I won’t just sit by. I’ll fight with everything I have. Even so… I think there will still be times when nothing can be done.”
I looked at my own hands.
What I could hold in these hands was very little.
There might come a time when I can’t save the people I want to save,
or when I have to make a choice between lives.
My power is small.
Insignificant.
There might be times when I can’t resist the overwhelming waves and just get swept away.
“But… that’s why I wanted to make sure there’s a place to come back to.”
“…A place to come back to?”
“Even if something terrible happens, even if we get scattered… if there’s a place to come back to, maybe our everyday life can be restored again. With that hope and that wish in mind, I wanted to rebuild this home properly… Something like that.”
“…That’s a wonderful thought.”
Nokia softly smiled in agreement.
It was a very gentle smile.
“When you feel like you have a place to come back to, I think it helps you push yourself even harder. Even though I had lost my memories… my soul still remembered my daughter. For me, Nina is the place I should come back to… Maybe that’s why I’m here with her now.”
“Yes. I think… that feeling itself is your strength, Nokia.”
“Ah… of course, the fact that you saved me, Rain, hasn’t changed. I’m still grateful for that, even now.”
She bowed her head again, leaving me unsure how to respond.
“Mama.”
Before I noticed, Nina had come back.
She tugged lightly on Nokia’s hand.
“Together… let’s look… at the house?”
“Yes, of course. Let’s look at it together.”
“Mm.”
Nina’s smile had truly softened.
She had become so much more gentle.
And Nokia, too, had started smiling with such a warm, wonderful expression.
I want to keep protecting this scene — this feeling — forever.
For that…
“…It’s about time… we went on the offensive.”
TL Note- Offense is the best defense
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