When I told him a brief story about Momojiro and Mito Gold, Haru, who had finished listening, said with a twinkle in his eye.

'Great, Al!　Momojirou and Mito Gold were both very interesting!

That's good to hear.

　I was glad to hear that he liked Momojiro and Mito Gold.

　Perhaps it was because of our cultural similarities that Haru, a Kagura man, seemed to be able to understand both stories without any difficulty.

'It was especially cool to see you as Mito Gold's old lord!

　Oh?　As for me, I thought I would like Momojiro's because it was easier and more straightforward, but I guess not.

What did you like about it?

"Traveling from place to place, hiding your identity and bringing along your best guards to set right the wrongs of the world! Even though you're retired, you're still a very honorable man, going around to areas where the politicians can't see you and fixing the world!

　Oh, oh. I asked him lightly and got a pretty solid impression.

'And yet, I like your character that you can't overlook someone in trouble!

　With a smiling face, Haru talks about the old man's charm.

　Apparently, Haru has taken a liking to Mito Gold more than he thought.

　This is just a matter of talking about Mito gold and we can get past the practice.

I wish I could be as good as you, Grandfather!

'It's true that when you're retired you don't have to work, and most importantly, you're free.

　When I tell him to agree with Spring's opinion, he gives me a jittery look for some reason.

''No, I didn't mean it like that, you know?

Why?　He quits his job, retires, and travels freely from place to place. And if you don't like it, sometimes you wield the power to get things done the way you want them to be done. Isn't that the best of both worlds for a guy of our status?

No, no!　The old man is not such a tyrant.　What a misinterpretation Al is making!　Apologize to the old man!

　Spring says, tapping me on the shoulder with a posse.

　No, I don't want to be told to apologize to a fictional character. The life of an old lord who becomes a retired person and lives and travels as much as he wants. ........I don't think that's so bad.

　The old man in my opinion is very different from the old man in Haru's. I think the old man is very different from the old man in my opinion.

　I don't want to keep talking about the old man, or else I might get angry with him again.

'How was Momoziro's situation?

　When I asked this one to try it out, Haru, who had been looking frustrated, got a subtle look on his face.

'Momojiro didn't make sense, especially the part where he was born from the first peach, you know?　A child is a grown man and woman kissing each other under the covers, and a woman has a child, right?

Well, it's bright!

　A girl with a pure heart dazzles in front of me!　I heard Spring's too innocent words, and I couldn't face the dirtiness of my own mind with awareness.

''Hm?　Al?　Why are you turning away from me?

　Spring asks me if she was suspicious when she saw me turning away from her face.

''No it's nothing.

Then look at me!

　Spring grabbed my face, which was still turned away, and forced me to face the front.

''Could it be that the knowledge I know of that a child can have is wrong?　

Well, you're not wrong?

　I manage to squeeze out the words while my hands hold my cheeks with both hands.

　The pure spring is too bright to meet my gaze, but....

''Ah!　Al, he just drifted away!　That's the same response I got when I asked everyone around me!

　He didn't like the way I was acting, and the pressure on his cheeks increased.

　Give me a break. I mean, why aren't the people around me teaching them properly?

　What is it, even if you're a solid spring, are you still out of touch with that part of your life?

Kaede, you didn't ask her?

　Wasn't she close to Spring, and being the same woman, hadn't she given you some knowledge that would give you some clues?

　I asked with such faint hope, but Spring slowly shook her face.

''No Kaede,'' she said. When I ask her about it, she says with a straight face, 'Haru-sama doesn't need a man' or something like that.

　Oh, really, that guy is a disappointment when spring is involved. Other than that, she seems like a sensible person. What in the world happened in her past?

''Tell me!　Al!　How in the world can a child be born!

　As I was thinking about Kaede, who wasn't here, Spring questioned me.

　What!　Is this s*xual harassment?　Isn't that a punishment?　There's no way I, being a man, can teach you that. If I told you foolishly and honestly, not to mention Kaede, Spring's parents would be angry with me.

''I don't know!　Because I don't know anything about it!

'No, Al has a look on his face that I know!

　Me and Spring's pushing and shoving went on for an hour or so.



　◆



'Mmmm, Al's got a lot of stubbornness in him to say this much and not talk.

No, because I don't know anything about it.

　I don't get on board with people telling me I'm not talking or being stubborn.

　I'm a seven-year-old with a clean heart and I don't know anything. So I don't say raggedy words or words that sound like I know what I'm talking about.

　Or rather, I'm surprised that this is the kind of conversation we're having, even though we were just talking about Momojiro. Perhaps it was better not to talk about Momojirō so easily.

'Oh well, never mind. I've heard some interesting stories about Mito Gold and Mito Jiro, so I guess that's good!

　As I was silent, Haru smiled as I regained my composure.

　I notice that the sun, which had been floating in the sky, has set and the area has turned reddish-blue.

　This shrine, at the end of hundreds of steps, had a beautiful sunset because of its high location and good vantage point.

　It was almost time to say goodbye to Spring. Spring probably didn't want to start parting with him in the form of a shameless argument at the end.

　Haru usually has a childish personality, but she's so thoughtful in a strange way.

''Spring has a lot of sensitivity, so it was fun for me to talk to you too.

　Unlike me, who had accepted the values of my previous life as they were, Haru's impressions of this world's unique values were interesting. It's enough to make it fun to talk about it.

''Is that so?　Then I want you to tell me another story about Al's country.

Yeah, there's a lot more stories to tell.

　Then we chuckled at each other.

'Huh?　Where are Roomba and Shuichi?

Hmm?　Come to think of it, I can't find you anywhere.

　It was almost time to go home, and I had to leave, but I looked around and didn't see Rumba or Shuichi.

　Haru and I were about to search the grounds of the shrine, when we suddenly heard a shout from the stairs.

''Whoa!　Shuuichi, run!　You work out every day, right?　Is that what you are?

'Ugigigigig!　I'm not going to lose!

　We heard a shout that seemed to be crawling up from below, and we both moved closer to the stairs. Then, at the bottom of the stairs, Rumba and Shuichi were running up the steep slope at breakneck speed.

　Wow, what a mindless game. This is nothing more than a painful exercise that causes physical pain. Did Roomba and Shuichi do this kind of thing for a long time while we were talking?

　I've grown young in body, but I'm no longer mentally old enough to play that kind of reckless game.

　While I was thinking about this, the two of them ran up to the top.

"Okay, okay, I win!

　It was Roomba who came up to the top first.

　As soon as he reached the top, Roomba shouted loudly.

　I've been dashing up hundreds of stairs on a steep slope, and as expected, Roomba seems to be breathing a little hard.

　I guess I'm only breathing a little hard even if I dash up here. He has the stamina to carry a large sword on a regular basis.

　And Shuichi came about ten seconds behind the rumba.

　I was pretty sure I was fast enough to go up the stairs!

　Shuichi wasn't as tough as the Roomba, apparently, and he was sweating lazily and looking like a dead man. That's what would normally happen if he dashed down the long stairs as fast as he could.

　As I was poking Shuichi with a branch while thinking that, Haru bent down next to me and said.

''Haha, tomorrow Al will be like this too.''

　Are they really going to be watching on the stairs tomorrow?