"Ray, long time no see!"
"Ooh. Have you put on some size?"
The ones calling out to Ray were Deruku and Howard. Both wore outfits that clearly showcased their thick, bulging muscles—simple shirts paired with trousers.
Ray gave them a slight bow in return.
"Deruku. Howard. It’s been a while. Though I don't think I've actually grown any taller."
Ray addressed both Deruku and Howard by their names without any honorifics. This wasn't something he had started doing of his own accord—only Carol did that—but rather, it was because Deruku and Howard had specifically requested it.
They had told him they wanted to drop the formalities and treat each other like friends.
Because of that, the distance between the three had shrunk considerably. While Ray's social circle was mostly limited to the members of the Special Selection Unit, Astral, he had already become quite well-acquainted with everyone.
Among them, Lydia was special, but Deruku and Howard shared a specific bond with Ray in one particular area.
"At any rate, it seems you've finally awakened to the gospel of muscle, Ray. I heard the news from Howard."
Deruku gave a predatory grin.
Yes. What these three had in common was a shared love for muscles. The fact that Ray was so seriously devoting himself to physical training was largely due to his environment.
Within the unit, it was no exaggeration to call Lydia, Deruku, and Howard muscle fanatics. He had Lydia at home and Deruku and Howard on the outside. Surrounded by such overwhelming physiques and seeing so many people constantly training right in front of him, it was only natural for Ray to start loving muscles himself.
Of course, considering he was in his growth period, Lydia and the others had placed certain restrictions on his training.
"Hmm. Master tells me that often, but I can't really tell myself..."
As Ray muttered those words, Howard chimed in to support his comrade.
"No, Ray, you're definitely getting much bigger. Part of it is your growth period, but you're developing some very high-quality muscle! Ray, have some confidence!"
"Ahaha... if you say so, Howard, then maybe that's true."
Ray let out a wry smile.
While the three of them were chatting, the other members watched them intently.
"Ray has certainly brightened up, hasn't he?"
"Yes. It's amazing how much he's changed in three years."
Standing beside Henrick was Flor. She was also participating in this Hanami. She had been isolated and alone for a long time, but since joining Astral, she had begun to change significantly.
Initially, she had been quite opposed to taking Ray in, but now she watched over him from the shadows and constantly lectured Lydia about his education.
Lydia was somewhat fed up with the nagging, but Flor simply couldn't help but worry.
"Alright! We're gonna eat a ton today!"
At the signal of Lydia's voice, everyone immediately began the Hanami. Since the culture of Hanami didn't originally exist in the Kingdom, there were hardly any other people in the park, leaving it almost entirely to them.
The one who had proposed this gathering was Carol.
She had suggested that since the spring was so beautiful, they should all have a meal together while looking at the flowers.
"I made a lot of food for everyone today."
It was Ray who spoke. He had been preparing the ingredients since the previous night and had been up since early morning making enough food for everyone. Since the rest of Astral had been on a mission until the day before, Ray had handled the preparations alone.
A few members felt guilty about it, but Ray told them not to hold back.
He didn't remember much about "that time." Even so, he understood his own circumstances. He was grateful to Lydia for taking him in, and he knew everyone in the unit cared for him.
It wasn't just because the Military High Command had told them to keep him under surveillance.
There was genuine human affection in their actions.
"Mmm! This is delicious! As expected of my Disciple!!"
"Well... since Master doesn't cook, I suppose I just got used to doing it myself..."
"Ah? Did you just say something?"
"No, nothing!"
Lydia's voice and gaze were clearly laced with murderous intent. Ray, who was no match for her in many ways, denied his comment immediately. He knew from experience that making Lydia truly angry led to terrifying consequences.
"Ray. Your cooking has improved."
"It's only because Major Garnet taught me so much."
"No, it's because you put in the effort, Ray. Lydia is completely hopeless in the kitchen. In that regard, you already have more than enough skill for your age."
"Thank you very much."
As he was being praised by Abby, Carol suddenly sidled up next to him.
"Ray-chan! ☆"
"Whoa...!"
She hugged him tightly and rubbed her cheek against his. Ray protested, "Carol, let go!" but for some reason, he found himself perfectly immobilized. There was nothing he could do.
"Caro-caro taught you things too, didn't she? Right?"
"W-well... I suppose..."
"No 'thank you' for Caro-caro~?"
She looked at him with the pleading eyes of a small animal. While Ray's treatment of Carol was often blunt, he was truly grateful to her. He was well aware that she looked after him in various ways.
Ray then whispered a quiet word of thanks.
"...Thank you, Carol."
"Oh!! You're seriously so cuuuuuuuute!! Hey, hey, I'm gonna give you a kiss!"
"U-uwaaaaaah! Someone help meeeee!"
Just as Carol attempted to kiss Ray directly on the mouth instead of his cheek, her head was firmly seized.
"Caaarooool? You've been getting a bit too aggressive with your skinship lately, haven't you? I'm pretty sure I've warned you about that, haven't I?"
Lydia stood there, her expression not quite demonic, but clearly radiating intense anger. She was gripping Carol's head with all her might, but Carol didn't seem to mind at all.
An ordinary person would have been screaming in pain...
"Eeh? What are you talking about~? Caro-caro is just engaging in skinship within the bounds of common sense~"
"Does your common sense include kissing?!"
"Yep! Caro-caro's gonna take Ray-chan's first kiss!"
"I see... Then I suppose we should settle this today. Let's take this outside, Carol."
"That's exactly what I want! Hmph!"
The two of them stood up and immediately began a brawl using sorcery. The other members of the unit were so used to this that no one even tried to stop them.
They simply thought, Ah, there they go again...
"Um. Is this really okay?"
"Just leave 'em be. Those two are always like that."
Howard appeared to be drinking, but he showed no signs of being drunk. Henrick joined the conversation as well.
"Yeah. I'm sure they'll settle down after a while."
"I see... Well, that's how it usually goes, I suppose."
A short time later.
The fight between Carol and Lydia was finally brought to a halt by Abby. Now they were being lectured by her, both of them bowing their heads while sitting in seiza.
Ray watched the scene with a wry smile.
"Haha. It really is the same as always."
"Honestly, those two are really something..."
The person muttering beside Ray was Flor. She shook her head from side to side with a heavy sigh.
"Ray. If you ever feel like it, you're more than welcome to come stay at my house, you know?"
"I appreciate the offer, Flor, but... I still owe a great debt to Master."
"I see. Well, come over to visit sometime."
"Yes. I'll be sure to come by again."
As she spoke, Flor gently patted Ray's head.
When Flor realized that the three men were staring at her with knowing smirks, she suddenly snapped back to her senses.
"I-I didn't mean anything by it!!"
The Special Selection Unit, Astral. Within this unit, Ray was gradually regaining his humanity. However, these peaceful days would not last for long—