I wasn't there the day after that, since I went back to the headquarters to take care of some tasks both from my end and Mio's, who stayed back as Luna. I heard from her through the day, and basically she mostly just talked with our parents, watched over Cael sleep and talked with the rest as well. I guess that task was a little hard on him, huh? But he wouldn't be able to grow if he didn't face actual challenges, so all in all I'd say it was a pretty constructive idea from me, as the great older sister that I am.
But on a serious note, his self underestimation was a genuine issue, so both me and Mio wanted it to get solved as soon as possible. To put it into scale, once he'd reach S rank level, he'll be able to potentially even skip until 2-5 recruits worth of strength in one attack, with minimal effort. That's how immaculate his mana control really is. Put in a little more effort? And he'd probably be able to skip to the same power attack level as 10+ recruits, while still actually only being an S rank adventurer. Mind you, the scale from an S rank and a recruit already being greater than an A rank and S rank.
Anywho though, it was now the 29th of January, and I guess the 2nd day they've been at the mansion, besides the first one. I had just come back as well, and went in.
"Welcome back, Maia."
"Welcome."
"Thanks, Ivy, Iris."
"Mi- Luna is in the office upstairs with lady and sir Ashford if you're wondering."
"Got it, I'll go say hi to them real quick. It's still pretty early anyway. Cael is probably sleeping."
They both nodded, as I made my way upstairs. It was the same office where we unsealed their memories the day before yesterday. Or I guess the night before yesterday? Regardless, I barged in, without knocking or anything like that.
"Did you forget what knocking is?"
"Did you forget that technically this mansion is under my name now?"
This wasn't actually a lie, since once it was confiscated give or take 3 weeks ago, it was put on my name by Mio, because it was the easiest solution, and since it would also prevent other tax hating nobles from buying it if we put it on sale.
"You know I can remove your name from it any time, right…"
"My, my, what an abuse of power that is. Stripping me of my own property just because you felt like it? Aren't you quite the tyrant, Mio?"
I sat down, this time at the table in the center, in front of dad and mom. A fresh cup of tea appeared for me when I did so.
"Now, now, you two. It's too early in the morning for drama."
"Is that the first thing you tell your daughter after she comes back?"
"That's the first thing that I'll tell my dear daughter who came back that forgot how to knock on a door."
"The mansion is in my name…"
"Well, ignore your father, honey. You know he doesn't knock on doors either, so he's not much better than you."
"Wait, what? When have I not-"
"Shut up, dear."
"…yes mam."
Their personality change wasn't really that drastic after they got their memories back, but they were definitely a little different now. More laid back? But also more intense? Either way, it wasn't anything unfamiliar or weird, so I didn't really see any issues with it. Even before they got their memories back, mom was still the man of the house on average anyway.
"What were you guys talking about anyway?"
"Before you came back we were talking about the upcoming trial a little."
"Mhhh… is there even much that needs to be said about it anymore though?"
"There's only one thing honestly. I don't even think I told you about it now that I think about it…"
"What? You're starting to worry me. Why're you making that expression as if you wanted to keep whatever this is a secret until the last moment…"
"Well, it's not that… I had to tell at least mom and dad about it…"
"Seriously, what the hell is going on?"
"Well… you'll understand when you see him."
"Him? Who are you on about-"
"Anyway. There is also another thing that could be an issue actually, which just came to mind."
"No intentions of elaborating, huh? Well, whatever I guess. What's the new potential issue?"
"You saw how me and Isolde reacted just from seeing Mio alone, no? I think Mio's point is pretty easy to understand with that in mind."
"Reaction…Seeing Mio…. Ohhhhh. Right, right, right."
"You got it?"
"If mom and dad's reactions alone were that strong from seeing you, then we can only imagine what it'll be like for Cael, huh?"
"It'll be the first time that he's seen the real Mio since our first life after all… it most likely won't be easy for my sweet little boy…"
"Hmm, I see the issue at least, but I think you guys may be overreacting a little, you know?"
Not that I doubt Cael will have a strong reaction or anything like that, but to begin with, he's not the type to do anything reckless or stupid in those circumstances.
"I'll probably be sitting next to him anyway, no? I can just make a barrier around us so everyone else in the room won't notice him probably crying or what not."
"Do you not have any intention of comforting your little brother…"
"Dad, are you forgetting who my little brother is?"
"I think Maia's right, honestly. I mostly wanted to point it out so we can prevent him from standing out too much in the courtroom."
Dad was still sulking a little, but mom rubbed his shoulder while comforting him.
"Dear, If even Mio says Cael will be fine, then who are we to argue?"
"We're his parents…"
"And Mio is his soulmate."
"…"
"Alright… I guess you have a point."
Contrary to what Mio thought, it's not that now with their memories they stopped worrying about Cael or any one of us just because they know we're strong. If anything, it seems like both of them, or at least dad was even more worried now than he was previously. I guess a child can never truly know what their parents are thinking in the end.
"Now, now, my dear father. It's too early in the morning for whining."
"I literally just said she has a point-"
"Sure, sure. They say it's not good to argue with old people, so whatever you say."
"We're still in our 30's…"
He sighed, but a smile appeared on his face right afterwards.
"I guess you're right. Maybe I am worrying a little too much about the little man."
"Speaking of little people, where are the twins? Not even Ivy and Iris were with them, and unlike Cael they can wake up early with no issues, no?"
"Rune is with Markus, he seems to have gotten attached to one of the little horses in the shed. And Nala…"
"Where's Nala?"
Mio then continued where dad left off.
"I guess I forgot to tell you yesterday, huh? The tailors agreed to allow Nala to watch them work, but…"
"But?"
"Well, they also agreed to allow her to try and make something herself, so she's been in the tailors work office since yesterday."
Dad sighed, then spoke again.
"Now it makes sense why she was so interested in the measure taken the other day at least."
"I wonder what her first piece will be in this life though."
"Hmm, It's probably going to be similar to what it was in our first one maybe?"
Mio seemed particularly curious though, as she spoke next.
"Wait, I actually don't know what her first piece was in our first life now that I think about it."
Both dad and mom looked at her surprised for a second, but it didn't last long until they remembered.
"Oh, right… you had special circumstances…"
"Well, let's not get dwelled on it for now. Nala's first piece in our first life was actually a completely normal and humble… glove. It was a completely regular and ordinary glove that she wore every day. You probably remember it too."
"So that glove she always wore was actually her first creation?!"
She seemed weirdly interested in it for what it was, though I can't say I don't understand it considering why she didn't even know it until now. Let's just say that mom's description was more than accurate. Mio had really special circumstances in our first life.
"Yeah, I remember her seeing something like "if I cover my working hand with a glove, they won't be able to tell whether a commoner made it or not" if I'm not mistaken."
I added, to which her eyes lit up even more.
"I see, I see… that makes sense, since in your first life she awakened her passion on her own, right?!"
"Yeah, but since we were completely normal commoners back then, she wasn't entrusted with working on clothing, any time she'd try to get an opportunity from a tailor. So she took a few jobs to make enough to buy a sewing machine herself, and made that glove for her working hand. She then showed her first ever piece to a tailor in the capital, and sold it… and the rest was history."
Dad's explanation was pretty smooth, though he did leave out a few details. Most importantly, how Nala also borrowed money from all of us… when her jobs weren't paying enough for her sewing machine, since she wanted one of the most expensive ones. Well, she did pay us back when she became the designer, but regardless, this version at least makes her look more responsible, so who am I to complain.
Commoners were discriminated against a lot more in our first life's world after all, so it honestly was a surprise to neither one of us when she asked for the money. Me and Cael were adventurers so we were fairly well off, albeit since Cael was still young, I was more financially stable, so I put a bigger share than him in.
"That does sound like her haha. It took a little too long for me to find out perhaps, but I'm glad I did in the end. I'm looking forward to whatever her first piece will be this time-"
However, before Mio could finish her sentence, we were all interrupted by an abrupt sound coming from the corridor. Was it the sound of a door slamming open or closed? Not sure, but given the shouting that we heard right afterwards, I think it's safe to assume that the door had just opened.
"I-I'm done! I'm finally done! I'll go give this to him, wait!"
Followed by the hurried sounds of fast running on the corridor, and towards the stairs. The tailors were working on the 2nd floor of the mansion where we are at right now, and Nala had just ran off, to give her first piece to "him"? Well, I think it's pretty obviously who that person is, but we'll find out soon either way.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Cael's Pov)
Yesterday I was actually so beat that I spent most of the day sleeping, and the little time I was awake was spent getting teased by Luna, so it's safe to say that I was pretty tired right now as well. At the very least though, I was sleeping pretty comfortably… but that didn't last long.
I heard the door of my room swing open with enough force to make a loud sound, but before I could turn around and see what the hell was going on, or whether I was getting ambushed in my sleep or not, I was forced awake. By what? By who? Well…
"Cael, Cael! Why are you still sleeping?! Wake up already!"
And before I could reply, she slapped me on my h back, hard enough to genuinely sting even through my shirt. I jumped, turned around, shocked and actually a little scared too, but I wasn't even given the chance to properly speak, as Nala kept interrupting me.
"W-what the hell-"
"Cael, Cael! You're finally awake?! Good, because I just finished it!"
"H-huh? Finished wha-"
"My first ever piece, I finished it! I spent all day and all of this morning making it! But I'm finally done! Look, look, look!"
She then shoved something in my face, and I mean it literally. She shoved whatever that was right on my face. It was a little too close to say the least.
"C-calm down! I can't see it if you keep it this clo-"
"Shut up and look at it already! I made this for you, you idiot!"
She then pulled it back just enough for me to finally see what it was, and it turned out to be… a completely ordinary black glove? I was a little dumbfounded, by the simplicity of the thing that she was hyped up enough about, to assault me awake.
"This is a gift for you! Do you like it? Do you?! What do you think?! Put it on?!"
"A gift? Why're you gifting it to me though? Isn't this your first ever piece? You should make it about yourself…"
I said as I grabbed it, and put it on. I guess this was a sword glove? Though given its simplicity it could pass by as any regular glove… However, as I looked next to my bed, a few steps away from where Nala stood, and grabbed my sword, I felt an instant wave of fondness at the sight.
What the actual fuck is this… this looks… cool as fuck?!
Holding a sword was cool enough as it is, but having just one glove at it too?! And it was a black glove that matched the black katana?! Holy shit, this looked so much cooler than I expected it to! I'm sorry for calling you simple or whatever, glove-Kun! You're my best friend from now on!
As I smirked to myself while looking at my own hand holding the blade, Nala replied. However, her tone had switched a little.
"It's because thanks to you I got interested in fashion. And now that I made my first ever piece on my own, I think I want to do shit forever."
"Forever? You're only 6, you know? You'll probably change your mind when you're older-"
"No. I promise, Cael. I won't. So that's why, this is my thank you. You should feel honored though, hehe! You're going to become a famous adventurer, no? So go ahead and show off my glove to everyone, you idiot!"
She smiled proudly towards the latter half of the sentence, which filled me with a weird sense of pride. Putting down my sword momentarily, with the very right hand that was wearing her glove now, I leaned over to pat her head.
"I see. Thanks, Nala. I'll gladly accept and treasure it. And of course, I'll make sure everyone sees how cool I am with your glove protecting my hand."
Though I'm pretty sure this thing won't actually offer much protection… but who cares I guess.
Seeing her this happy and proud about her work was more than enough.
"You better…"
"I will, I will. How about you get out so I can change, then we'll show it to everyone else?"
Her face lit up again, as she rushed out of the room, slamming the door shut and shouting from outside.
"Hurry up! I'll go ahead and look for them!"
"Alright!"
I was now actually excited to say the least as I got up and began changing though, with only one main thought in my mind. And that was… showing how cool Glove-Kun looks to Luna! I'm sure she'll agree with me that he looks amazing, and also I guess that also means Nala will get more praise for her work and all that. But the main point is that I want to show off right now.
So with that in mind, I quickly got out of the room in less than 3 minutes after Nala left, and went upstairs, since that was most likely where I'd find them. I remember seeing Luna and mom and dad go into an office on the second floor yesterday, or something like that. They were probably there now as well… or so I was hoping at least anyway. Of course, I had absolutely no way of backing up my claim, however I did also hear Nala go upstairs after leaving, and since I didn't hear her go back down, it means at the very least she was still up.
Once I got up there, I walked through the corridor until I found an open door, with Nala standing in front of it, yapping excitedly. It seems like my guess was accurate. Her eyes lit up when she glanced in my direction and saw me, running towards me and grabbing me by my arm, dragging me inside.
"Here he is! Come on, hurry up! Hurry!"
"I'm coming-I'm coming… you don't have to drag me like that…"
But she clearly ignored it, as we entered the room. There was a small table at the center, with 2 small couches on each end, and 2 larger couches on both the left and right side of the room. Luna was sitting at the desk further ahead, while our parents and Maia were sitting at the table.
"Oh, you came back, Maia?"
"Just a little while ago, yeah."
"Daddy, mommy, Maia, Luna, look! Look at his hand! I made that, you know?! This is my first ever piece!! Isn't it awesome?!"
But putting Maia aside, Nala completely took over as she grabbed my hand and lifted it. I spread my fingers apart so they could see my hand properly I guess? Which seemed to do fine enough for the given cause, so I couldn't complain. Dad and mom were watching curiously, same with Luna. Maia let out a chuckle for some reason though.
Nala seemed confused by her chuckle, but unfortunately for Maia, the little girl didn't really have a filter.
"Hey, why are you laughing, Maia?! Do you think it's bad…?"
So she asked the big question right away, with no real hesitation.
"N-no… it's not that hahaha… I'm just a little amused. Because I can clearly see that at least someone here really likes it."
She looked at me for some reason, which I didn't really understand. However, when Nala glanced at me, her expression had also switched from confused to a little weirded out.
"Why're you smiling like that, Cael? You're a little creepy…"
"Huh? Am I smiling that weirdly?"
"Yep, it's the same smile you had that one time…"
Don't tell me… you mean when I thought I could finally fire a getsuga Tenshou for the first time?!
"Yeah, it's a little creepy, Cael."
"It's definitely a little creepy, little one."
"Well, I still love you sweetie, but it's not really the most normal smile around."
I looked at Luna as a last hope, but she kinda just chuckled, before replying.
"It's cute, don't get me wrong… but also out of the ordinary to say the least."
Hahaha… I want to kill myself.
"Come on, don't get so depressed now, Cael. We're not making fun of you. We already know how much you like… cool? Stuff. And seeing as you also brought your sword with you for some reason, I think we can all guess why you like it so much, you know?"
I let go of Nala's hands, and with my now free right gloved hand, I unsheathed my sword. So what if I have a weird smile? At least I'll have a weird smile while looking cool! It's not too late to regain some of my dignity and at least show off.
"That's right! Look, doesn't my magnificent Glove-Kun look spectacular on my hand?! Not to mention? He matches my sword as well, so it only adds to the pros!"
"I guess it does look fairly cool, I can't deny that. But Cael, you know that thing won't really protect your hand, right? No offense, Nala."
"Eeeeh? What do you mean, Maia? Isn't it still a glove?!"
"I mean, sure. It'll give minimal protection, but definitely nothing against monsters, which is fine."
"…so does that mean my glove is useless?"
"Hmm, not quite, no. It's a pretty easy fix too after all, so don't worry. But before I go with it, I guess it's only right that I ask for your permission, since you're the tailor that made it, no?"
She smiled, which Nala reciprocated with excitement within her eyes, as she nodded ferociously.
"Alright then. Cael, come here. Gimme your hand."
"Alright."
Well, I already imagined what would happen next, so I just did as I was told to. And as expected, the next moment, Glove-Kun glowed for a few moments, before it went back to just good ol Glove-kun.
"Done. I've enhanced it myself, so now it'll at least be durable enough to not break in most cases.. even if the glove itself doesn't give any defense, it will now, if it can't break or tear."
Nala jumped into Maia's arms to hug her, pushing me aside.
"Thank you, Maia! You're the best!"
"Haha, no need to thank me. Just make sure you keep working hard, and make cool clothes for everyone, alright?"
"I will!"
"That's all then."
Though this was supposed to be my moment, I guess this isn't terrible either.
"Aaaah, my daughters are just the cutest… aren't they, Isolde?"
"I can't disagree, dear. Our daughters are really cute after all."
"And also, that aside, Cael, Maia, you two are practically matching oppositely now, you know?"
Luna spoke last, pointing out something we didn't really notice until now. Me and Maia looked at her for a moment, then at each other, and lastly at each of our gloved hands.
Now that she mentions it…
I have Glove-Kun on my right hand since that's my dominant one, but Maia has had her glove on her left hand for quite a while now. Sure, her design was different from mine since it was a present, and it looks fancier, on top of being an archery glove, but we were technically still oppositely matching to some extent. Maia charged her arrows with her left hand for the record, which may be a little unusual since her right hand is her dominant one, but honestly it doesn't really make much of a difference in her case probably.
She may just be more comfortable with handling arrows with her left hand as far as I'm concerned.
"I guess that's true, huh?"
"Say, Nala, did you think about that when you made it?"
"No, not really… but isn't that even better?"
"I can't say it isn't, hahaha."
It wasn't intentional or anything, but it seems like from now on me and Maia will be matching, huh? That doesn't sound so bad to me. Not to mention the contrast between an archer and swordsman, who are older sister and younger brother respectively.
I spent the rest of that day with Maia and Luna, practicing outside while showing off Glove-kun as often as I could, because why the hell not.