Mother and Daughter’s Reunion
“Hic, sob, hic.”
A sobbing sound of a young girl resounding nearby the pier that had turned into wreckage. The onlookers and soldiers were crowding there, but there was not even a clamor, and the place was strangely quiet.
It was because of the should be kidnapped girl of Sea-dweller tribe who flew down from the sky, the human boy who jumped into the sky and caught her, and there was the black dragon with a girl riding on its back in the sky. However, the biggest reason was how the boy greatly scolded the girl from Sea-dweller tribe. Well, actually, it was how the young girl called the boy who scolded her.
“Sob, Papa, sorry…”
“Promise me you won’t do anything that dangerous again, okay?”
“Un, Myuu will.”
“Okay, that’s good. Come here.”
“Papaa~!”
The figures of Hajime, who was on one knee as he scolded the young child, and Myuu, who obediently reflected as she scolded by him though she cried then and jumped into Hajime’s chest when she was forgiven… were as normal as that of a father and his child. It was also shown by how Myuu repeatedly called him “Papa.”
The situation where the should’ve been kidnapped child of Sea-dweller tribe “adoring” a human boy enough to treat him as her father, and how Hajime treated Myuu as his own daughter made everyone dumbfounded, not understanding what had happened. Their minds were asking the same thing. Which was, “How did it come to this?”
Hajime lifted Myuu with his arm and patted her back to calm her, and finally, the surrounding people returned to their senses and began to cause a great commotion.
As he leered at the clamoring, perplexed people, Hajime patted Myuu’s back and someone hugged him from behind… when he looked over his shoulder, there was Kaori’s figure whose head was on his shoulder, slightly trembling.
“I’m glad… I am really glad~, hic, hic.”
This time, Kaori had begun to cry. Even though she acted firm, inside, she was worried Hajime might be dead. She believed in Hajime’s survival, but there was no way she didn’t feel worried about him. That added to how he went missing for the second time shortly after they finally met again, enduring it was impossible for her
“I am sorry to make you worry. But as you can see, I am full of life here. That’s why, please don’t cry… if Kaori cry… I will be imensely troubled.”
“Uh, hic, th-then, let me stay like this for a little more…”
Troubled, Hajime patted Kaori’s head whose hands were wrapped around his arm. However, maybe because she couldn’t stop crying, Kaori buried her face more and more into Hajime’s shoulder. Both of her hands were now tightly embracing around Hajime’s stomach from behind.
“Oi, you, explain what are yo-gah!?”
“Muh? Sorry.”
The above was the commander-like person who was dripping wet due to being blown away into the seas as the consequence of Hajime’s jump. He didn’t read the mood and tried to question Hajime. However, he was knocked by Tio (deactivated her Dragonform when she landed) who was running in short steps towards Hajime, thus the man once again fell into the sea.
Not minding the man that much, Tio came beside Hajime, held his head and pressed it into her cleavage.
“What the—!? Oi, Tio.”
“This one believes, thou know? This one believes… even so, Master… too much time hath passed until this reunion.”
When Hajime quietly looked at Tio’s face from her cleavage, her expression was one of ascerting her important one inside her arms with tears accumulated on the edges of her eyes. This time, Hajime felt it couldn’t be helped and let her do as she pleases because he had relied on her to do something unreasonable.
While that happened, Myuu said, “Myuu will hug Papa too~,” and she clung to Hajime’s nape. Shia, who was beside Yue, who was beside Hajime, began to hug his free arm.
The surrounding gazes couldn’t even see Hajime, as his whole body was covered by a beautiful little girl, beautiful girls, and a beautiful woman. The surrounding gazes were gradually changing from one of perplexion to one of looking at them warmly. Even the agitated vigilante corps and soldiers had lowered their arms, dumbfounded.
“You people… not only once, but twice… I will arrest you for obstructing the Kingdom’s soldiers’ work.”
Once again crawled up onto the pier, the commander-like person was angrily glaring at Hajime’s party. With weapon in hand, he seemed to be ready to attack at any moment. Though Hajime couldn’t be thought of as the kidnapper from how the kidnapped Myuu was abnormally too attached him, there were too many unknown things about him, so of course the man wanted to question him.
Ever Hajime since the beginning had wanted to explain that he was entrusted by the head of Fhu-ren’s guild branch, Ilwa, to escort Myuu. However, he was troubled as he had nothing to prove that, but now it was at hand.
With “Treasure Box” returned by Tio, Hajime took out his status plate and the request form from Ilwa, then he presented them to the commander.
“… Let me see… a “Gold” rank!? Moreover, a direct request from the head of Fhuren’s branch!?”
Other than the request form, there was also the letter from Ilwa where the details were written. It was addressed to the Elisen’s mayor and the top brass of the soldiers who resided in this town, the man before the party. After reading the letter intently, the commander spated a big sigh and after he hesitated a little, he gave up as he drooped his shoulder then saluted.
“… The request has been completed. Nagumo-dono.”
“It is good that all doubts have been cleared. You must have things that you want to ask, but we are in a hurry. So I want you to not ask anything because… I want to let this child meet her mother right now. It’s okay, right?”
“Of course it is. However, as a soldier of this Kingdom… I can’t overlook about the dragon, you jumping, and the ship-like thing from before.”
Radically changing from the previous oppressive manner, the commander’s attitude became one which paid Hajime with respect. Even so, he appealed with his strong gaze to Hajime that it was impossible to overlook those.
“About that, can we just talk about it in another time? I am going to stay in this Elisen for a while, after all. I also think there’s no need to report about it to the kingdom because they probably already know about it…”
“Mm, I see. Anyway, it’s good as long as we can have a chance to talk. Now please return that child to her mother… does she know of her mother’s condition?”
“No, she doesn’t. But it’s okay. After all, we have the best medicine and healer here.”
“I see. Then let me question you once things are settled.”
The commander lastly introduced himself as Saluz, then he went to control the crowd by dispersing the onlookers. A dutiful person.
The people who know Myuu seemed to want to call out to her, but Hajime used his gaze to stop them because much time would pass before she returns to her mother if they did that.
“Papa, Papa. We are returning to home. Mama is waiting! Myuu wants to meet Mama.”
“Of course… so let’s hurry and meet her.”
Pulling Hajime’s hand, Myuu urged on with “Hurry, hurry!” It had been around two months since the last time she returned to her house and mother. So it couldn’t be helped. Though she was usually laughing as she was taken care of by Hajime’s party on their way, at night when the time to sleep came, she wanted to be spoiled because she indeed missed her mother.
On their way to Myuu’s house, with Myuu as their guide, Kaori came close to him and asked him with a small, uneased voice.
“Hajime-kun. About what the soldier from before said…”
“Well, it doesn’t seem to be life threatening. It’s just that her wound is rather severe and it’s also the physiological one… well there’s no need to worry about the latter with Myuu being here. So please check her injury.”
“Un. Leave it to me.”
While having that kind of conversation, they heard a commotion from the road ahead. It was the voice of a young woman and several voices of men and women.
“Lemia, calm down! It’s impossible with the condition of your legs!”
“That’s right, Lemia-chan. Myuu-chan will surely come back!”
“I don’t want to! Didn’t you say Myuu have come back!? Then, I must go to see her! I need to welcome her!”
Apparently, the woman tried to get out of the house, and she was stopped by several men and women. It was likely because an acquaintance had told Myuu’s mother of her return.
With the resounding of the frantic voice of the woman called Lemia, Myuu’s face bloomed and shone. Then, as loud as she could, she called out to the woman in her mid twenties, who had collapsed at the entrance door, while running.
“Mama~~!!”
“—!? Myuu!? Myuu!”
Running with all her might and with an expression full of smile Myuu jumped into the bosom of the woman — her mother, Lemia, who tried to steady her legs before the front door.
Seeing the figures of a mother closely and tightly embracing her daughter, expressing she didn’t want to be separated again from her child made the surrounding people look at them warmly.
For so many, many times Lemia repeatedly said, “I am sorry,” to Myuu. It was either because she had lost sight of Myuu or her incapability to come looking for her or may both.
Tears fell as Lemia both feel relieved from her daughter’s safety and also the grief from being incapable of protecting hear. Looking at Lemia with anxious eyes, Myuu gently patted her mother’s head.
“It’s okay. Mama, Myuu is here. So there’s nothing to worry.”
“Myuu…”
Never did she thought she would be comforted by her four year old daughter, so Lemia’s teary eyes unconsciously wide opened and she watched Myuu.
Myuu was also looking straight at Lemia and there’s indeed worry about Lemia lodged inside her eyes. Myuu was a mama’s girl and couldn’t stand being alone before she wa