The Nostalgic Holad
“Hyahha—! Yeah!” As if such a sound could be heard, a dense, enormous, and fierce pressure mercilessly attacked the Adventurers aiming at Hajime’s party. The bloodlust that was previously coming from the Adventurers seemed nothing but a childish tantrum compared to this. As if also carrying physical force, the immature Adventurers immediately lost their consciousness while all of the standing Adventurers were re-seated without even having the time to tremble.
With Raisen Grand Canyon to their left, and a magnificent meadow to their right, the magic driven two and four-wheelers advanced towards the west with the sun at their backs. Raising a cloud of dust on the highway as it advanced by the four-wheeler’s side, the two-wheeler went back and forth between the barren ground and the meadow by the canyon side as it roared noisily, merrily even.
“… Seems like Shia is in a good mood. She even shouted just like those guys from the end of the century.”
“… Hmm. I also want to try it.”
In the four-wheeler’s driver seat, Hajime muttered with an amazed expression with one hand steering the vehicle, while the elbow of his other hand was on the window frame. Just as Hajime said, Shia was not riding on the four-wheeler. She was driving the two-wheeler alone.
To begin with, Shia truly liked the feeling of cutting through the wind as the two-wheeler advanced, but the number of people had increased recently and their main transportation method changed to that of the four-wheeler, which made her dissatisfied. Though she could feel the wind if she put her head out the window, she could not be satisfied with that and she could not stick to Hajime like when they used the two-wheeler because the seat next to him was reserved for Yue. Thus, she asked Hajime to teach her how to drive the two-wheeler.
The magic-driven two-wheeler could be operated easily as long as one could use direct magic power manipulation. Depending on the circumstances, direct magic power manipulation could also be used to control the steering without the need to grip it. Thus, this was not that difficult for Shia, and she quickly learned how to drive it. Following that, she became enamoured with the two-wheeler.
Even now, she moved left and right while squeaking, she even drifted and popped a wheelie. Furthermore, she also did jackknife and backride techniques which would not lose to a professional extreme motorcycle stunt artist. The acceleration and braking could be done by manipulating her magic power, so it was far easier to operate than the one on Earth… Still, she kept up with Hajime’s pace. Shia’s rabbit ears even said, “Hey, hey, what do you think about my technique?” as they sometimes turned towards Hajime with a somewhat cheeky expression, which was simply irritating.
Occasionally, there were those whose character would change when they drive, and Shia might be one of them. Seeing Shia, Yue by Hajime’s side also wanted to try driving it herself. Yue even said, “Hyahha—!” but Hajime decided to absolutely stop her as he felt the mood would become awful. Also, beside Hajime was the three or four year-old Myuu putting her head out of the window at Yue’s side, as she steadily climbed from Yue’s lap with sparkling eyes. Pointing her hand towards Shia, who began to stand while steering with one hand, Myuu began pleading to Hajime.
“Papa! Papa! Myuu also wants to do that!”
“I already said you can’t.”
Sitting on Yue’s lap, Myuu, whose wish was denied began to whine and said, “No! Myuu wants to!” to Hajime. So as to not let the whining Myuu fall from the seat, Yue hugged her from behind and scolded her with, “…don’t whine!” “Uu~” Myuu raised a cute groan and Hajime showed a face as though to say it couldn’t be helped towards the depressed Myuu.
“Myuu. I’ll drive it with you later, so be patient.”
“Ehh~? Really?”
“Mhm. I won’t permit you to board it with Shia… but it’s okay if it is with me.”
“So, Myuu can’t drive it with Shia-oneechan?”
“Mhm, absolutely. Just look at her. This time she’s making a strange pose while steering. Though something come to my mind… I absolutely won’t let you get on the vehicle with someone who drives dangerously.”
Standing above the steer, Shia raised an American-like laughter while making a strange pose where her right hand’s fingers spreaded and hid her face while her left arm hung down with the shoulder slightly raised. As he stared at Shia who made Joke-like pose, Hajime pointed at Myuu. ‘Don’t copy Shia, okay?’, he said.
“To begin with, I don’t want you to get on the two-wheeler because it’ll be dangerous… should I make a child seat? The materials will be… mumble, mumble.”
“Yue-oneechan. Papa is mumbling. How strange.”
“… Hajime papa is just worried about Myuu… unexpectedly overprotective.”
“Fufu, does it mean Master is an unexpectedly indulgent person? Hmm, this gap somehow… haa, haa.”
“Yue-oneechan. Tio-oneechan is panting.”
“… It is an incurable disease so just ignore her.”
Serving as Myuu’s conversation partner, Yue patted Myuu’s head, who was gazing up at her.
Only a little time had passed since they started traveling with Myuu, but Hajime had already given up about Myuu calling him, “Papa.” At first, he used every possible means to change the way she called him, but Myuu began to tear up every time, and her trembling eyes silently appealed, “Is it bad? Does Papa hate Myuu?” Even Hajime, who was capable of beating the demonic beasts in the abyss to a pulp could not win against Myuu, just like how he could not go against Yue. Resultantly, he could not change it and it was established that he would be called “Papa.”
As he allowed (he gave up) her to call him “Papa,” Hajime began to worry about Myuu. Even now, it could be said he was being overprotective. Shia is a shameless rabbit while Tio is a pervert, so I must protect Myuu until she returns to her mother! or so he thought. During the time when he begins to be too meddlesome, Yue was the one who became the stopper, as well as the one in charge of teaching Myuu about common sense, and that’s the current composition of Hajime’s party.
Because Myuu was glued to Hajime, Yue couldn’t flirt with him, and she became somewhat dissatisfied, but she felt it could not be helped since she had also come to adore the cute Myuu.
While silently firing her magic towards Tio, who was panting and concentrating on her delusion in the back seat to silence her, Yue was covering Myuu’s ears since it would be bad for her education. Thus, with Hajime who was still mumbling about making the seat for Myuu, and Shia on the two-wheeler with only the rear wheel touching the ground, I must keep calm! Yue made an empty resolve.
* * *
Hajime’s party were currently at the Post Town, Holad.
Normally they would just pass through here, but because of a request from the head of Fhuren branch Adventurer Guild, Ilwa, they must stop on their way here. Even so, it didn’t take too much time as they passed here along their way to «Guryuu-en Great Desert».
Hajime walked towards Holad branch guild along the main street with nostalgic gaze. Riding on Hajime’s shoulders, Myuu noticed his state and used her small hand to tap on Hajime in curiosity.
“Papa? Did something happened?”
“Nn? Ah~, well, I’ve come here before… though it’s only been four months, it feels like years to me…”
“… Hajime, are you okay?”
Yue, whose hands were affixed on Hajime’s arm, had a complex expression while looking at him anxiously. Hajime shrugged and his atmosphere returned to the usual in the next moment.
“Ah, there’s no problem. It’s just that, I was absorbed in my emotions because it’s been such a long time. I remember that everything started here… After a night spent in tension, fear, and even desperation, I went to the dungeon on the next day… and then I fell.”
“…”
Hajime felt that in a way, that day could be called a fateful day. His monologue made Yue and the girls listen to him in a serious mood. Yue was silently looking at Hajime. And Tio asked Hajime questions out of curiosity.
“Hmm. Dost Master want to return to that day? After all, there’s the case of Master’s companions, too, right? Though Master hast his own circumstances… After all, thither’s not only those whom hast hurteth master, right? Was thither not someone master got along with?”
Because Tio’s relationship with Hajime’s party was still shallow, she would sometimes frankly ask about things she should be careful about even though she knew what was going through Hajime’s mind. It was because she didn’t want to only become a travel companion, so Tio put forth great effort to truly become a comrade in Hajime’s party. Although she was a pervert, in a way she favored Hajime.
That’s why Hajime listened to Tio’s question without being bothered by it. Thus, he exhaled and recalled the midnight tea party under the moonlight. With the unpalatable tea, there was the white negligee and black hair which reflected the moonlight, whose owner swore to protect him, and at the last moment, she stretched her hand out towards him with a bitter expression as her companions pinioned her…
Unexpectedly, he felt a trembling hand on his arm which made him regain his senses. When he looked at the source, Yue was looking straight at him with strong, resolute gaze, and her trembling hand tightly grasped Hajime’s sleeve.
Hajime matched Yue’s gaze and returned to silently gazing at her with a soft and gentle gaze.
“Certainly, there was someone… However, even if I could return to those days, I will still tread on this path of mine.”
“Heh~, why?”
Although she knew the answer from Hajime’s expression, Tio still asked with a slightly amused expression. Without averting his gaze from Yue, Hajime used his other hand to gently grasp Yue’s hand which was grasping his sleeve. Yue had a faintly smiling expres