K-type Mage

"That child, right? The distant child of the Kondo family, who is said to be a bad girl..."

"My child said she was a strange child who could talk to the air."

"Really? Is it mentally abnormal..."

"You can't say that! Shh, shh! That kid is here!"

"Go, let's go..."

The two housewives with the vegetable baskets turned their faces away, and hurried away with the embarrassment unique to the protagonist while chewing their tongues.

The strange child they were talking about was coming out from the corner of the opposite street. I don't know if I heard their bad words, but when the hazel eyes swept over, the arc of the long hair fluttered as if it was far away. A distance from this world.

People subconsciously dare not look at it.

The girl with light-colored hair had small wounds on her face and arms. She didn't pay attention to the backs of the two housewives. She just wandered quietly in front of the crossroads for a while, and took a step in a direction.

……

The time-space transfer after the fog dissipated makes Natsume Takashi feel fearful, even with "Alice in Wonderland" as a comparison, it is impossible to feel relieved like that; but it is very obvious that there is a person who has helped himself and is a good person in his cognition Facing such a thing with the adults around him made him a little less afraid.

"Natsume-kun, don't worry, this is just an adventure." Yuan Shen said to him, "Maybe there will be a miracle."

The boy was a little confused, but his trust in the young man prevented him from asking. He just raised his head to look at him trustingly, and said in a soft voice, "Then what are we going to do next?"

Here is an open grass field, and behind them is the woods they just walked out of.

Yuan Shen looked to the other side, bent his eyes and smiled: "Let's go and have a look first."

Probably really a miracle.

Takashi Natsume who stepped into the gap of time came to the past because of blood relationship.

Genshen thought about it for a while, thinking that in this chaotic world, Natsume Takashi would continue—it seemed difficult to grow up safely.

He likes children.

Hisaku Yumeno is a child belonging to Port Mafia.Mori Ogai may indeed be willing to let him get in touch with Genbuka, but it is obvious that it is impossible for a smart person to just let go like that.

Are you raising a child?Or a little care?

Yuan Shen hesitated.

He thought about walking downhill with the boy, listening to the goblins whispering about "strange human children".

over there.

Natsume Takashi stopped in his tracks.But he didn't know why he stopped.

There is a clear river under the grass. On the other side of the river, there is a girl wearing a school uniform skirt, carelessly paddling in the water with a branch, and after noticing this side, the gaze she casts is casual, as if from another world. .

It's actually quite obvious.

The appearance of her and Natsume Takashi is similar except for gender and age factors.In other words, Natsume Takashi resembles her.

"...Dad." The boy looked at her from a distance, and his expression became dazed, "It's very similar to Dad."

Although the eight-year-old child has been in several families and has no objects to remember the deceased parents, when he is sad, he still thinks of the home and parents who left good memories.

Yuan Fuka touched the back of his head.

How should I put it... I can empathize with it a little bit.A person is used to it, and it will not be like this at the beginning.It's easy to miss the good old days with understated malice.

As if he would miss his best friend now too.20 years after the death of the other person, he has been working towards his goal and reached the end, and now he can walk in this world for the reason of having fun (really, vacation or retirement)-as if it is a healing scar.

...scars that have healed.

Is this what you expected?

He was briefly distracted.

"Want to go and have a look?" He lowered his head and asked the boy, "Where is this place?"

Natsume Takashi hesitated for a moment, Yuan Shen didn't give this sensitive child time to back down, and gently but firmly took his hand: "I will be with you, Natsume-kun."

The boy took a step.

The girl with the same hair color and eye color as him watched the older one and the younger one walk over, her eyes moved with them, focusing more on the child being led, and then she thoughtfully revealed a Smile, and stand up to greet the two people crossing the small bridge.

"Hello." Yuan Shen took the initiative to say hello, "My name is Yuan Shen."

Natsume Takashi, who was looked at by him with encouraging eyes, swallowed nervously, and showed a small smile to the "big sister" who made him feel close: "Hello... I am Natsume Takashi. "

"..." The girl blinked, "What a coincidence, I'm Reiko Natsume."

She already had a vague guess.

The black-haired young man looked at her, and when he bent his eyes and smiled with the care and tolerance unique to the elders, he seemed to know what happened.

Natsume Reiko avoided his gaze, threw away the branches, and smiled: "Is this your first time here? Do you want me to show you around?"

"Please, Reiko." Yuan Shen called this Natsume like this, because of the soft tone and the direct name, it seemed much more cordial.

The girl was slightly taken aback, looking at the hand he was holding with the boy, she retracted the look in her eyes, and her smile changed somehow.

"What's the relationship?" She asked Natsume Takashi, frankly in front of the young man, "Takashi, are you friends with this person?"

"...not friends." Natsume Takashi pursed his lips and thought for a moment, looking very troubled by this question, "Mr. Yuan, he is a good person and a reliable adult."

"...Is that so?" Natsume Reiko said softly.She stared at the young man whose smile really gave people a sense of intimacy for a while, and then looked at the child next to him who looked so familiar that she could recall every time she saw it in the mirror—or the face reflected on the water—and said nothing , "Let's go, it happens that there is no class today, I have a whole day."

"Thank you, Reiko." Natsume Takashi whispered, he was very excited to be able to get along with this big sister, but he couldn't explain why he was happy - it was a different feeling from Mr. Yuan, the other person's face was very similar The father, who is still clear in his memory, can also remind him of his mother; it is like seeing a relative.

... relatives.

The boy's eyes were slightly red, and he quickly realized the tears and lowered his head in a hurry, not wanting the elders to see him.

Natsume Reiko and Yuan Shen tacitly pretended not to see it.But the former seemed to sigh.

Same as me, or similar?Can you see monsters?she thought so.Where did it come from?

*

Here is the past.The town blocks are the same, but there are changes in the buildings.

Natsume Takashi didn't come to Sabe's house for a long time, so he didn't realize that this was the place where he had stayed for several months.

When Natsume Reiko led them onto the road, someone saw them.

The girl was so similar to the boy that almost everyone she saw showed a strange look, and after the three of them left, they chatted with the same person they saw.

Yuan Shen believes that if Natsume Reiko is not a child now, these people who are used to leisure will not think that they are siblings.

Tsk.Ordinary people are always malicious without knowing it.

Natsume Reiko seemed accustomed to the gazes of those people, but she still chose another direction when Natsume Takashi flinched.

"There's a festival tonight," she said. "Will you guys stay until that time? Watch the fireworks together... okay?"

Natsume Takashi blinked blankly.The passage of time was still a vague concept to him, so after being reminded, he worried about how Mr. and Mrs. Sabe would treat him if he went back too late.But he really wanted to watch the fireworks with Reiko.

He looked at the reliable adult with anticipation.The girl also looked at him.

Yuanshen smiled and nodded to the two children with similar faces: "Of course."

Even if you can't, you have to be able to.

Fortunately, there are no hounds here.Otherwise it will frighten the child.

So both children smiled.

Natsume Reiko has a very distinctive personality, like a hedgehog that doesn't hide its sharp thorns. It looks powerful and intimidating, but it is gentle and considerate inside.

...maybe still a little fragile.

Genbuka took a sneak peek at Natsume Reiko, whose smile and tone were so gentle when dealing with Natsume Takashi that she was not like the "hateful human who bullies youkai" in the mouth of the monster.Collecting the names of monsters...maybe it's just a child trying to get rid of loneliness.

They came to the mountain.

"This is the best place where I can see the fireworks." Natsume Reiko coughed when she spit out the slightly violent words, changed the words, and said without changing her face, "We can come here together at night."

This is indeed an excellent location, on the edge of the cliff, with a wide view, you can see not only the distant mountains and forests, but also the buildings in the town below, and you can even see the summer festival that has already set up stalls.

Natsume Takashi, who was exhausted and out of breath from climbing the mountain, stood here, showing a look of wonder in the refreshing wind.

"I can see a lot," he said, his eyes bright. "I'm looking forward to coming here to watch the fireworks at night!"

"Me too." Natsume Reiko said.

Yuan Shen pondered to buy a camera.Reiko's machines in this era still don't support his mobile phone to print out photos. The encounter across time and space should be remembered no matter what.

They spent a while here, and from early morning to noon, the boy's stomach growled.

...The Kondo family will probably not allow themselves to bring guests back.Natsume Reiko hesitated for a moment, calculating in her mind whether her pocket money was enough to treat the two of them to dinner—and to go to the festival at night.

The source, the reliable adult, who has long been separated to make money, raised his hand enthusiastically: "I'm hungry, let's go eat ramen together! I invite everyone!"

Natsume Takashi looked at him with puzzled eyes: "Mr. Yuan...?"

Natsume Reiko also looked at him suspiciously.

They are not people at this time, how could they be rich.

"Don't worry! Adults won't let children go hungry." Yuanshen pretended to take out his pocket and took out a wallet, "It's not fake to be rich, I'm a good citizen."

"——so let's go together!"