Arifureta Vol 7 Chapter 9 (2/2)

The four “Thunder Dragons” Yue created scattered into different directions of the blazing red evening sky. Almost all of the people in Fhuren witnessed their majestic forms. The four Thunder Dragons let our thundering roars and “fell” at the same time onto four of Flithof’s important bases that were left behind. Their lightnings dyed the surrounding sky, and the roaring sound of collapsing building resounded within Fhuren. With bursting flames and the scattered dust, the sunset in Fhuren in addition to being dyed in red by flames was just like a town in a war-time after an air raid.

Incidentally, the common people unrelated to this event were unharmed. He had confirmed there was no one around unrelated to Flithof by using Unmanned Reconnaissance Planes into the related facilities and the buildings’ circ.u.mferences. The people who were blown off and turned to cinders were only those related to Flithof. Their ident.i.ties, however, were unidentifiable.

“Hajime-san! Is Myuu-chan okay!?”

“Wa-wait s.h.i.+a. Eh, that’s too fast!”

While he and Myuu was looking at the raising flames and smokes, a telepathy came from s.h.i.+a. Since Hajime didn’t let s.h.i.+a in on the details of what he was going to do, she was surprised by the explosions and the “Thunder Dragon”s, so she asked while panicking.

“It’s okay. She is safe. Looks like… those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds’ bases are all destroyed. Perhaps we should meet at the branch head, Ilwa’s place though he might be screaming right now.”

“Ha~, thank G.o.d~. Branch head’s place, is it? Roger. I will immediately go there so please come quickly with Myuu-chan, okay?”

“Ah, okay. Then, see you there.”

“Yes.”

Because Hajime was suddenly looking at the distance in silent, Myuu looked at him in wonder. When Hajime said, “We will meet with Onee-chan soon, okay?,” Myuu smiled happily while saying, “Onee-chan!”.

Hajime, who descended to the surface, met up with Yue who had entrusted the children to the securities. She quietly watched Myuu who was held by Hajime. Myuu restlessly looking around, and then looked up at Hajime. Her eyes were saying, “Who is this person?”

“Myuu, she is Yue. My lover?”

“Eh? Lover? … Then, s.h.i.+a-oneechan?”

“My companion.”

“Not a lover?”

“Of course not.”

“… No matter what?”

“I will say it again and again… my lover is Yue.”

“Hmm~”

After being introduced to Yue, Myuu looking at Yue with a somewhat dissatisfied expression. Yue was still watching Myuu quietly. As if to ascertain something, Myuu returned Yue’s gaze. The two were staring at each other for a while, but the balance unexpectedly broken. Yue was trotting closer to them.

“Uhh,” Myuu was cautious. However, Yue didn’t mind Myuu’s cautiousness and took her away from Hajime. Yue made a Kyaa~ sound as she tightly embraced Myuu. “Ugh~” Although Myuu groaned and tried to resist, Yue didn’t let her go. After that, she said,

“… So cute.”

Apparently, she had come to like Myuu very much. Hah Myuu, who finally caught her breath, raised her face, and she and Yue were looking at each other in a close range.

“… Myuu. I am Yue. You’ve tried your best alone. Truly admirable.”

Yue’s eyes gently soften, and patted Myuu’s head while still embracing her saying, “Good girl, good girl.” With her gentle hand and warm atmosphere, Myuu relaxed and tears began to flow. Then, she began to cry loudly, Waa— When she met Hajime again, she still felt the tension that’s why she could not cry. However, at this moment, she relaxed and could let out all of her feelings completely.

With a wry smile, Hajime said, “As expected of Yue,” and they waited until Myuu finished crying before heading towards Adventurer Guild’s Branch Headquarters.

“Collapsed buildings, numbered twenty-two. Partially destroyed ones, numbered forty-four. Completely annihilated buildings, numbered five. Death of 95 members of Flithof confirmed. Disabled, numbered forty-four. Serious injuries, numbered twenty-eight, and 119 people are missing… Well? Do you have anything to say?”

“It went according to the plan. There’s neither regret nor a thing to reflect on.”

“Haa~~~”

Inside the Adventurer Guild’s reception room, Ilwa was glaring at Hajime with a written report in hand. However, from hearing words without any hint of remorse to the figure of a little girl from the Sea-dweller tribe who was eating the tea cake while hitting on his laps made Ilwa felt completely exhausted.

“Although I thought it couldn’t be… I heard Lehman escaped from Meerstat by destroying the water tank and walls, then flew to the sky… It wasn’t not your doing, right?”

“… Myuu, this is delicious, too, you know? Try eating it.”

“Ah~n.”

Although Hajime calmly fed Myuu the cake, Ilwa didn’t missed s.h.i.+a, who was sitting beside him, wavering for a moment. Thus, he once again let out a very , very deep sigh. He rubbed his stomach with a hand, and the head secretary, Datt, casually handed him some stomach medication.

“Well, I won’t deny that I felt you overdid it, however, we are also troubled by the underground organization… So I can honestly say you helped us in this matter. They always cleared any evidence, with their outward appearance being a legitimate company, and they could just cut off arrested the ones like a lizard’s tail… Frankly, their extermination was a dream for us… But with the balance of the underground world collapsing… Haa, it will need serious cooperation between the Security Bureau and the Adventurers.”

“Well, that originally should’ve been managed by Fhuren’s Administrators. This matter only involved us because by some chance, someone wanted to put their hands on us so we counterattacked…”

“For a counterattack, how did it became annihilating one of three biggest underground organizations based in Fhuren in just half a day? Seriously, I can’t even joke about it.”

Ilwa smiled bitterly and somehow looked like he aged for at least ten more years. Because Hajime felt he was pitiful, he make a proposal to Ilwa.

“We gave those criminal groups such a grand warning, making them think twice of ever trying to meddle with us again. Also, it’s okay for Branch Head to use our names, you know? After all, if it’s known that the Branch Head was the one who hired “Gold” ranks… It’ll be a good deterrent, right?”

“Oya, is it really okay? It will surely become a big help… but aren’t you the type who dislikes being used?

Ilwa’s expression says he wasn’t expecting Hajime’s words. However, his eyes clearly said, “Eh? Seriously? Of course I will!” Hajime shrugged his shoulders and smiled wryly.

“Well, it is a give-and-take. We have troubled you, that’s why I don’t mind it if it’s just that much. I also know you, the Branch Head, will use it with caution. Besides, Fhuren will be involved in a war between underground organizations because of us, and I feel bad to involve the ordinary people.”

“… Hmm. Hajime-kun, aren’t you changing slightly? When I first met you, I had a feeling you had no consideration for anyone beside your companions… Did something good happened in Ul?”

“… Well, at least it was not only bad things that happened there.”

As expected of this big city’s Guild Branch Head, he could clearly judged people. He was able to notice the slight change in Hajime. Since this change was also desirable for Ilwa, he gratefully accepted Hajime’s proposal

Later on, although the two organizations planned on raising their influences by taking advantage of Flithof’s annihilation, it didn’t become just a big when thanks you Ilwa’s effective use of the names of Hajime’s party similar to how adults would scare children by saying “Namahage will come~” But because of this, Hajime gained various nicknames such as “Right-hand man of Fhuren’s Branch Head,” “White-haired, eye-patch, blazing flame-user,” and “Little girl-killer”… However, Hajime didn’t know of it, and it’s no big deal if he had no knowledge of it.

[T/N: Namahage is a demon-like being, portrayed by men wearing hefty orge masks and traditional straw capes during a New Year’s ritual.]

In regards to dealing with Hajime’s party who caused such a grand rampage, thanks to Ilwa’s effort, connections, and the unexpected help from the Security Bureau who defends the public peace, it became a legitimate case of self-defence. Thus, there was no problem at all. Apparently, even for the Security Bureau, the case where a child they were entrusted with was kidnapped, along with the bombing of one of their office, had become quite a hit on the head.

In addition, they could not tolerate the underground organization which kept doing illegal acts while making a mockery of them. The bureau director came to greet Hajime’s party with truly manly smile to conclude all things, and when he left, somehow his steps were light as though it was humming, “La dida dida.”

“Next, about Myuu-kun…”

Ilwa turned his gaze towards Myuu who was munching a cookie she held with both hands like a squirrel. Myuu twitched because of his gaze, uneasily looking up at Hajime, Yue, and s.h.i.+a due to not wanting to be separated again. The reason she didn’t look at Tio was… it was the elders’ role to prevent a child from seeing something harmful.

“She could be entrusted to us and be sent to Elisen according to the legal procedures, or she could be entrusted you to be returned in a form of a commission… Those two are the only ways. What will you choose?”

Hajime inclined his head and wondered if it was okay not to entrust the kidnapped child of Sea-dweller tribe to the officials. According to Ilwa’s explanation, it would be okay to leave her to them because from the beginning, the “Gold”s’ rampage was to protect her, Myuu.

“Hajime-san… I, will, absolutely protect this child. That’s why, let her come with us… please.”

s.h.i.+a bowed her head to Hajime. By all means she wanted to be together with Myuu until she was safely returned. Yue and Tio was watching Hajime in silence, leaving the decision up to Hajime.

“Onii-chan… stay together… please?”

It was foul play to say, “Please?,” while sending an upward gaze from his own lap. More importantly, when he got Myuu back, he had already considered to take her along if she wished for it, so his decision had been made.

“Well, it would have been be a big help in beginning… But now, I hold her dear so I can’t just say something like goodbye.”

“Hajime-san!”

“Onii-chan!”

s.h.i.+a and Myuu were elated and smiled widely. Although it was necessary to conquer the Great Dungeon in «Great Volcano» before they travel to «Seaside town, Elisen», Hajime decided to allow Myuu to accompany and determined in his mind, “Well, we’ll manage somehow.”

“However, Myuu. Can you stop calling me Onii-chan? It’s okay to just call me Hajime. What can I say, the way you call me make me itch.”

Because Myuu was hugging him in joy, Hajime said his demand while feeling half embarra.s.sed. For an otaku to be called “Onii-chan”… various things might happen.

Hajime’s demand made Myuu puzzled for a moment, but before long she nodded as though she understood it… and she answered with something completely different from what everyone had expected.

“… Papa.”

“… Wh-What? Sorry, Myuu. I seems I didn’t hear it correctly. Please say it again.”

“Papa.”

“… I-it must be that, right? A word that means “Onii-chan” or “Hajime” in Sea-dweller tribe’s language, right?”

“Ah-uh. Papa is papa.”

“Um, wait a sec.”

Hajime used his hand to ma.s.sage his forehead and s.h.i.+a timidly asked Myuu why she used the word “Papa” to call Hajime. Then…

“You know, Myuu doesn’t have a Papa… He had gone to where the G.o.d is before Myuu was born… Ki-chan, Lu-chan, and Mi-chan have theirs but only Myuu doesn’t… That’s why Onii-chan is Papa.”

“I somehow understand, but I want to tsukkomi your “that’s why,” Myuu. Please anything but Papa. I’m still only 17 years old, you know.”

“No, it’s Papa!”

“Okay. Then Onii-chan is okay! I don’t want such an extravagance t.i.tle, so stop with Papa!”

“Nooo!! Papa is Myuu’s Papa—!”

Afterwards, he tried various things to get Myuu to stop calling him “Papa,” but Myuu displayed unexpected stubbornness, even more than the time she called him Onii-chan, and as the result, it was not revoked. As such, he could do nothing but made her mother persuade her when they arrived in Elisen. Hajime’s expression looked like he was suffering his greatest damage since the time he came out of the Abyss.

The the discussion with Ilwa was over, they returned to the inn, and a dispute broke out in regards to whom would be called “Mama” by Myuu, and for the time being, Tio who would become a bad influence to Myuum was rolling on the floor because Hajime had tied her. Naturally, she was excited by it…

In the end, she didn’t want to call anyone “Mama” except her real Mama, so Yue, s.h.i.+a, and even Tio settled with “Onee-chan.”

Then at the night, everyone slept together in a kawa-no-ji style because Myuu wished for it. Once again problem occurred on who would sleep beside Myuu and across Hajime. However, the exhausted Hajime made Myuu sleep in between him and Yue. s.h.i.+a was dissatisfied by this and threw a tantrum, but somehow she was able to sleep after she finished saying all of her complaints.

That day, the 17 years old Hajime became a Papa… and now the journey together with a child began!

Extra

Yue : “… Hajime.”

Hajime : “Nn? What is it, Yue?”

Yue : “… I want a child.”

Hajime : “… (Sweat drips).”

Yue : “… Jiii— (Silently appealing with her eyes).”

Hajime : “… Someday.”

Yue : “Nn!”

s.h.i.+a : “That’s~, Hajime san… me, too (Fidget, fidget).”

Hajime : “… I won’t.”

Tio : “Master, this o— ”

Hajime: “Only those existing can joke around”

Tio : “… Haa, haa. Only this one got an immediate reply… Moreover, a merciless one… Haa, haa… I can’t hold it anymore!”

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