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Jura-Tempest Federation · Academy City
"Wow!!! *2"
"This... this... so many people! They're really all alive!"
Yuuri's eyes were wide as she watched the students coming and going around her.
"This is exactly the scene from my dreams!"
Chito also spoke with a shocked expression.
"Hmph hmph! Everything your eyes can see is my dominion!"
"Now you understand how great a person I am, right!"
Kaito said loudly to Chito and Yuuri with a smug look.
"Wow!!! So amazing! Truly amazing!"
"Lord God is indeed Lord God!"
Kaito felt a surge of secret delight as the two little ones continuously flattered him.
"Everyone, look, it's Kaito-nii!"
"Wow, it really is Kaito-nii!"
"Kaito-nii! *n"
A sharp-eyed little girl on the street spotted Kaito and shouted excitedly.
That shout was significant. It was as if she had poked a hornets' nest. All the little girls on the street came running toward Kaito.
Although the "Idle Four" spent their days doing nothing serious and causing trouble everywhere, for some reason, these four were extraordinarily popular in Academy City.
Every one of them was deeply loved by many of the younger students.
Milim often came to cause mischief with the little ones, and Veldora was the president of some strange fan club.
Rimuru was also one of the directors of Academy City.
As for Kaito, he was something like a savior in the hearts of the younger girls.
It was because of him that they had this life, one they couldn't even have dreamed of before.
"Yo! What are you all doing out here? Just got out of school?"
Kaito asked with a smile, looking at the girls gathered around him.
"Yes, yes! School's out! A few of us are planning to go get dessert!"
"That's right, I'm also planning to buy some clothes. The teacher said tomorrow is the weekend, so we can wear our own clothes."
Kaito looked at the girl speaking, still in her school uniform, and nodded.
"Hmm, you should get some new clothes! Do you have enough money?"
Hearing that, the girl nodded quickly.
"Yes, I do! The school gives out pocket money every month, and I've saved it all up!"
"You still need to save? I thought the monthly allowance was already quite generous. How could it not be enough?"
Kaito, who treated all the younger girls like little sisters, immediately wondered whether the pocket money should be raised.
"It's enough! I donated all my money to the Disciplinary Committee myself!"
The girl shook her head quickly, and Kaito breathed a sigh of relief when he heard it.
At the same time, he shook his head at himself. He had been overthinking things. The student allowance had been set after discussions between Shizu, Treyni, and the others.
None of those people would ever be stingy with children.
As a side note, the Disciplinary Committee is a student organization made up of outstanding students from the various academies within Academy City.
Its main purpose is to resolve disputes among students and assist the Security Force in maintaining public order throughout the city.
However, because most students are Cursed Children, disputes are almost nonexistent.
As for public order... just picture the Security Force spending their days doing nothing but sweeping streets, and you will understand.
If you were to ask anyone in the Academy City Security Force who they disliked the most, every single one of them would say "the Third Legion" without a moment's hesitation.
So at present, the Disciplinary Committee mainly handles communication and coordination for joint activities held between the various academies.
"That's good. If your allowance ever isn't enough, you have to tell your teacher. We're not short on a few coins!"
Kaito patted his chest and declared loudly to the girls gathered around him with the confidence of someone who had never worried about money in his life.
"No need, it really is enough!"
"That's right, we can't let Kaito-nii spend any more for us!"
"Yes, yes, we all have plenty!"
Kaito looked at these impossibly sensible little ones and felt something warm settle in his chest.
[Host, I seem to recall you saying that cuteness is worthless in the face of sexiness. Did I misremember?]
'Nonsense! Only children have to choose one or the other. Adults want everything! o(▼__▼メ;)o'
[Tsk! Watch yourself. The Divine Beast might censor you, and then I'll have no choice but to go down with you!]
"..."
"Alright, you all go enjoy yourselves. I need to take these two to the Central Building!"
Kaito looked at Chito and Yuuri, who had been standing quietly to the side, and called out to the girls gathered around him.
The girls nodded obediently and said their goodbyes.
"Okay! Goodbye, Kaito-nii!"
"Kaito-nii! Bye bye!"
"Bye bye!"
Watching the little ones leave, still glancing back every few steps, Kaito waved after them with a smile.
"Chito! Lord God really is popular!"
"Yes. This might be what a true god actually looks like."
Chito and Yuuri watched Kaito wave until the last of them had gone, and couldn't help but murmur in admiration.
"Alright, let's go!"
Jura-Tempest Federation · Academy City · Chairwoman's Office
"Knock knock knock!"
Shizu, who had been sitting behind her desk with her head down over a stack of documents, looked up as a knock broke her concentration.
"Come in!"
Click...
"Still working even after the students have gone home, Chairwoman?"
A hint of surprise crossed Shizu's face when she saw who it was, and then she smiled and complained gently.
"Hehe! I can't help it. There aren't many board members who actually do any work, so I end up doing it all myself!"
Kaito's intended retort died in his throat at that, and he could only laugh awkwardly and try to smooth things over.
There was really nothing else to say. Just consider that all four of the "Idle Four" were board members, and you could easily imagine how few were left to pick up the slack.
"Ahem! Anyway, Shizu, I brought two children with me today. I found them in the New World and brought them back."
"Oh! Are these the two? They look like they can't be older than fourteen!"
Shizu looked at Chito and Yuuri standing beside Kaito, and asked with a gentle smile.
"Yes, these two... how do I put it. What they've been through isn't so different from what the Cursed Children went through."
Hearing that, Shizu's expression softened further, and she turned to the two girls.
"Hehe, don't be nervous. What are your names?"
Faced with the warmth of the older woman in front of them, the tension drained out of Chito and Yuuri almost immediately.
"My name is Chito! I'm seventeen this year!"
"My name is Yuuri! I'm seventeen too!"
When she heard they were already seventeen, Shizu looked at their small frames, and a quiet sorrow flickered behind her eyes.
Then she stood up, walked over to them, crouched down to their level, and spoke gently.
"Hmm. You've had it very hard, haven't you. It's all over now. If you need to cry, go ahead and cry."
Those soft words were the last thing holding either of them together.
"I... I... Uwaaaaah!!!"
"Grandpa... Grandpa watched over us... uu... uu... everything is gone... there's nothing left... we didn't even know if we would ever... uu... uu...!"
Shizu drew both of them into her arms and held them gently while they cried.
"All of that is in the past now. From here on, you won't go hungry again. You'll make new friends at school."
"Everything is going to be alright. Hehe, honestly! Even at seventeen, they're still children at heart."
The crying slowly faded until it was gone. Shizu looked down at the two girls who had cried themselves to sleep in her arms, and shook her head softly.
Then she and Kaito carried them over to the office sofa, and she pulled out a blanket to cover them.
"Alright. I'll take care of these two. There's actually something I wanted to talk to you about..."