“Naofumi-sama!”
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
After completing the re-registration of the slave crest that had been removed, I faced Raphtalia at the monster tent.
“Where are we going next?”
… I looked at Raphtalia. Come to think of it, she’s really a little girl. I must thank her for believing in me.
“Okay, then I’ll let you eat that kid’s lunch with the flag at the restaurant we went to before.”
“I don’t think it’s good to waste money like that. I ate a lot at the castle yesterday, so it’s fine.”
Hmm… Despite what her preadolescent appearance would suggest, she already has a deeply rooted sense of financial awareness. It’s probably my fault.
“Then let’s buy a toy.”
“Why!?”
“Think of it as a thank you from me. Raphtalia, I know you’d probably want to prioritize your mission, but you’re still a young girl. Just like the kids your age… playing is also important.”
“If you’re going to buy me a toy, save the money and buy some good equipment!”
“Something like a toy is not such a big deal.”
Looking at the stalls in the castle town, I searched for toys that Raphtalia might want to play with.
The toys in this world… are they only like the balls made out of balloons or those stone-shooting slingshots?
Looks like there’s also something akin to bamboo dragonflies as well.
Hmm… Oh, I also found stuff like ohajikis. Would girls want something like this?
No, maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to buy a stuffed animal instead.
It’s also a good idea to have her wear cute clothes as well. Before I realized, I found myself at a tailor store.
“Welcome~” A clerk with a scarf wrapped around her head and wearing glasses talks to me.
“I want you to pick out some cute clothes that would look good on this girl. Also, can I ask for something else, like a stuffed animal?”
“Naofumi-sama? Weren’t you going to buy me a toy?”
“Wow… she’s such a cute girl. What kind of clothes would you like?”
“If possible, I think something Japanese-style would suit her, but…”
Would she understand terms like ‘Japanese clothing’? Quickly concluding that it’d be impossible, I instead pointed towards the Gothic Lolita-like clothing in the tailor store. It’s different from Japanese style, but I think this outfit would also look good on her.
“Can I ask you to choose some cute clothes like those over there?”
“Uhm…”
“Understood! The model is already very charming, so it will make her look amazing!”
“Naofumi-sama?”
“What?”
“Such a luxury is not good.”
“What are you even talking about? What’s the point of a little girl holding back from having fun? Even if it’s for something small like this, of course you have to indulge.”
“Haah…”
And so, the tailor and I chose clothes that seemed to suit Raphtalia, and purchased the ones we were satisfied with after having her dress up in various outfits for a while. We tied her hair up with a ribbon to make her look cute.
After that, I asked the tailor to tell me about a store that sells stuffed animals, and gave one to Raphtalia as a gift.
“Alright!”
Raphtalia’s charm has been enhanced by matching her cute outfit with her stuffed animal!
What else… though I think this should be good enough for plain clothes, I want good weapons as well. To the weapon shop.
“Oh? Kid… and Lass, what happened?” The Old Man of the weapon shop looks at me and tilts his head.
“What do you mean?”
“Why is the Lass all dressed up?”
“Oh, I just realized that it might be wrong for a little girl to keep on talking about fighting without dressing up. Fashion is important, right?”
“He is splurging all that money on clothes like this for me. Could you please talk some sense into him?”
“Is that so? What’s this change of heart all about, Kid?”
I muttered as I recalled it all. “I heard about Raphtalia’s circumstances… so I’ve decided.”
“On what?”
“What is it?”
“To raise her into a splendid lady, in place of her parents.”
We would have to overcome the waves first, of course. But more than that, I will raise a pitiful girl who lost her parents into a splendid woman. That’s the best reward I can give to Raphtalia for believing in me.
Depending on the contents of the egg I purchased, I’ll use monsters to raise our level and overcome the waves. I really have to take care of Raphtalia.
“What are you talking about!?”
“We’ll finish them off using powerful weapons after having confirmed that it’s absolutely safe! We’ll steadily… aim to reach a high level by only hunting at most Usapils and Egguggs!”
“That’s too inefficient! We must fight stronger monsters, raise our level, and prepare our equipment more greedily!”
What are we going to do if you get yourself hurt!? Raphtalia, you have to use me as a shield and survive no matter what!”
“I don’t want to survive at the expense of Naofumi-sama!”
“Kid. You got another screw loose, huh…”
After that, I was dissatisfied that the monster born from the egg I bought was a medium-sized monster called a Filolial, so I ended up buying an Usapil for Raphtalia on the same day.
Ah, small animals do suit little girls!
—
Conclusion: Naofumi awakens to fatherhood and becomes overprotective.
