ââOnii~chan, good morning~ââ
âGood morning.â
We woke up a little later than usual.
âAre you okay? Did you get enough sleep?â
ââYeah!ââ
Despite the irregular sleeping hours, the children seemed to be full of energy.
âHow are your stomachs?â
ââHungry~ââ
âThen, letâs get ready and go eat.â
ââOkay!ââ
We headed to the dining room not for breakfast but for brunch instead, and despite the odd hour, we were served a normal meal. If itâs too difficult, I would just make the food myself, or we would go to some restaurant to eat. The servants of the Ruven mansion are as good as they get.
âGood morning.â
ââGood morning~ââ
After we finished eating, Rebecca-san gave me a message that she would like some of our time if we were available, so we went to her immediately.
âGood morning you three. How do you feel?â
âFeel fine!â
âLively!â
âWe took our time resting, so we are good. It must have been hard for you yesterday, Rebecca-san. Are you feeling tired?â
âFufu, thank you for your concern. Iâm fine.â
We checked each otherâs physical condition first, and then Rebecca-san took us to another room.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Apparently, they are going to let us see the newborn baby again.
âAlmeria-san, we are entering.â
âYes, go ahead.â
âOh my, Velio-san, you came too.â
When we entered the room, Velio-san was also there, pecking the baby on the cheek with what I could only describe as a grin on his face.
âAlmeria-san, how do you feel?â
âThank you, Takumi-san. Iâm fine. Come on over, have a look at his face.â
As soon as Almeria-san gave her permission, Allen and Elena quickly rushed over and started poking the babyâs cheek, just like Velio-san.
ââSo squishy~ââ
âAhhh~ Allen, Elena, donât poke too hard.â
ââOka~y.ââ
I hurriedly warned them as Allen and Elena were poking the babyâs cheeks again and again.
ââOnii~chan, heâs so cute!ââ
âIndeed, very cute.â
I touched the baby too, and found his cheeks to be very soft and squishy as well.
âVelio-san, have you decided on the name?â
âWe named him Lucario.â
âLucario-kun, huh. What a good name.â
ââLuca-chan!ââ
The baby boy seemed to have been named Lucario-kun.
As soon as they heard his name, Allen and Elena immediately started calling him by a nickname.
ââOh! He opened eyes~ââ
âYeah. They are beautiful blue-green eyes.â
Lucario-kunâs eyes were the color of Velio-sanâs fresh leaf-colored eyes and Almeria-sanâs blue eyes combinedââTurquoise.
I took out the congratulatory gift that I had prepared from the Infinite Storage.
A stuffed animal we bought in town the other day, an educational toy, and the picture of a rabbit. I also have some monster materials on hand, such as good quality fur, and some herbs that are easy to preserve. In addition, there were the rubies and crystals that were politely refused when I tried gifting after we arrived to Rubia, as well as pearls. Based on the mistake I made last time, this time I packed them in a box so that they would not be obvious at a glance.
âTakumi-kun, thereâs no need to be this considerate.â
âWell, weâd like to celebrate as well, so please accept it.â
âFufu, Velio-san, accept it. We are also celebrating Takumi-sanâs auspicious occasions, so they are going to feel sad that they canât do the same.â
âThat is true. Thank you, Takumi-san.â
Velio-san was reluctant to accept the gift, but thanks to Rebecca-sanâs encouragement, he did.
As Rebecca-san said, I would be really sad if they celebrated Allen and Elenaâs birthday, and we could not do the same.
âBut, Takumi-san, what is inside this wooden box?â
I couldnât help but look away from Rebecca-sanâs sharp gaze.
Did she notice the contents of the box?Thatâs weird~ I thought people wouldnât know whatâs inside if I used a boxâ¦
âMother, do you mean this box?ââWha!â
Velio-san immediately picked up the box that Rebecca-san had pointed out, opened the lid, and shouted in surprise.
âI knew it. Geez~ Takumi-san, I told you that you cannot give this away.â
âI thought it would be acceptable as a gift for a celebration~â
âYeah. I noticed right away when you spoke about it the last time.â
The reason why she noticed was that when it was rejected as a gift, we discussed the next opportunity with Allen and Elena in front of Rebecca-san.
âTakumi-san!â
Velio-san, a little angry, held out the wooden box in his hands.
âNo returns!â
âThereâs no way we can take this!â
âEhh~ No matter what~?â
âNo matter what! Obediently take it back!â
The always mild-mannered Velio-sanâs eyes turned sharp.
⦠Should I even collect things like this? I had no choice, so I stored the wooden box in the Infinite Storage.
â⦠Haah. I thought it would be much better for Rebecca-san or Almeria-san to make a use of it rather than me hoarding it~â
Next opportunity will be Wald-samaâs wedding, then?
âFufu, itâs so easy to understand what you are thinking, Takumi-san~â
âEh?â
âWerenât you thinking just now that you would present it as a gift for Wald-sanâs wedding?â
âEhh!?â
Rebecca-san guessed exactly what I thought.
âD, does it appear on my face that much?â
âFufu, I wonder~â
ââ¦â¦â
Rebecca-san smiled at me and muddled her answer.
For some reason, I get the feeling that I should not go against this person.
âBy the way⦠is this no good as a wedding gift?â
âWell, I guess it would be all right if a little more modest?â
â⦠Modest?â
How modest is modest, really?
âRubies and pearls are out of question. I guess about a few crystals would be fine?â
Only crystals~ Rubies aside, thereâs no opportunity to reduce my stock of pearls at all~
Then, letâs get rid of the crystââ
âTakumi-san, Iâm talking about two or three at most.â
ââ¦â¦â
I tried to reduce my inventory, but as if she had read my thoughts, Rebecca-san stopped my thoughts.
Itâs really as if Rebecca knows exactly what Iâm thinking.
ââOnii~chan, whatâs wrong?ââ
When feeling dejected, Allen and Elena patted my head.
â⦠Allen, Elena, they say they wonât accept the rubies.â
ââRubies?ââ
âThe shiny red stone.â
ââI see~ Unfortunate.ââ
Although they let out âUnfortunateâ Allen and Elenaâs expression didnât change much. Well, either way must be good for the kids.
ââLuka-cha~n.ââ
The one who Allen and Elena were most interested in right now was Lucario-kun, after all.