"Which way should I go, Ado?"
"Um, don't go into the town. Turn right and drive along the outer wall, okay?"
"Got it."
Shuuki adjusted the control device of the automobile and changed course to the right.
The truth was, this automobile lacked a steering wheel. Because the left and right wheels were driven by independent Golem's arms, it worked like a tank, changing direction by varying the drive speeds of the two sides. To put it bluntly, Shuuki found it to be a massive hassle.
It couldn't be helped, though. He hadn't been able to build a proper steering mechanism in the short span of two days. He had considered a three-wheeled design, but since the wheels were made of metal rather than rubber, he hadn't been sure how effective the steering would be. In the end, he had set the idea aside for the time being.
The town of Naminte was surrounded by a stone outer wall. Standing about three meters high and rising almost vertically, it was impossible to scale with bare hands. Shuuki couldn't tell if it was meant to keep out other humans or to ward off dangerous beasts.
The wall encircled the town in a near-perfect circle. Shuuki and Adriana were currently about sixty degrees into their lap around the perimeter.
It was then that Shuuki noticed Adriana was acting strangely. She was uncharacteristically listless.
"Ado, what's wrong? Are you motion sick again?"
Adriana shook her head. "No, Shuuki, that's not it. It's nothing. Don't worry about it."
Even with her saying that, he couldn't feel at ease when she was so obviously out of sorts. Just as he was about to press her further, Adriana pointed ahead.
"Look, you can see it now. That's my house."
Since she had pointed it out, he couldn't question her any further. Instead, Shuuki stood speechless as he caught sight of her "house."
"……"
Seeing his reaction, Adriana asked timidly, "Are you surprised, after all?"
"……"
Shuuki nodded silently.
Before his eyes stood a dome-shaped building with walls that appeared to be made of metal.
"……This is what my home is like. As for why…… I can't be the one to tell you. If my father allows it, he might explain everything." She cast her eyes down, then peered back up at Shuuki. "I'm sorry for keeping it a secret until the last possible second."
She looked down once more, her shoulders slumped. Shuuki reached over and gave her shoulder a few light, reassuring pats.
Adriana looked up, surprised. Shuuki spoke to her in a bright, cheerful voice.
"So that's what you were worried about? You're a dummy, Ado."
"D-Dummy? What do you mean by that!?"
As she instinctively snapped back, Shuuki laughed and nodded. "Yeah, that's it. A gloomy face doesn't suit you at all. That's the expression I like to see."
"Then it sounds like I'm always complaining!"
"Ahaha, sorry. But look, you're back to the usual Ado."
"Eh? Ah……"
"I'm an outsider from another world, you know. I don't care what your house is like. If anything, I'm more worried about whether I'll eventually become a nuisance to you."
Adriana became indignant at the mere suggestion. "That's absolutely impossible! The idea of me ever treating you like a nuisance!"
However, their bickering, which bordered on a lovers' spat, came to an end there. They had arrived. Shuuki brought the automobile to a standstill.
"Father! Brother!" Adriana called out.
Two figures had emerged from what appeared to be the entrance gate.
"What’s this about the residents making a fuss? Has there been an incident?"
The Guardian of Naminte, Oyakata-sama, questioned the subordinate who had come to report.
"N-No, it seems a strange vehicle has approached……"
"……And?"
"It appears the young lady is riding in that vehicle. And what’s more, she is with a man."
"Adriana is?"
Just then, his son, Donavaagu Tierra, arrived on the scene.
"Father, I heard Ria has returned?"
"Ria" was the nickname Donavaagu used for his sister.
"Yeah. I just received the report. However, she seems to be accompanied by a man."
"What did you say!?"
"……I don't know what their relationship is, but if he's laid a hand on my daughter, he'll pay for it."
"Oyakata-sama, it looks like the vehicle will arrive at the gate shortly."
"Alright, let's go."
"Father, I'm coming too."
"This is my father, Oyakata-sama, and my youngest brother, Donavaagu."
Adriana introduced the two men who had come running up to the automobile.
"Father, Brother, I'm home."
"Welcome back, Adriana."
"Welcome home.……And, who is this?"
While they welcomed Adriana gently, the two of them glared sharply at Shuuki.
"Let me introduce him. This is Shuuki Tsetse. He's my…… partner."
"What was that!?"
"I won't allow it!"
"…………Eh?"
Watching the two of them bristle as if they were about to pounce on Shuuki at any moment, Adriana finally realized her choice of words had been poor.
"N-No, that's not it! Shuuki is, um…… what would he be?"
"……Please don't ask me," Shuuki replied, feeling pinned down by the piercing gazes of the father and brother.
"O-Oh, I know! He's a marebito!"
"A marebito, you say?"
"Is that true?"
"It's true!"
The moment Adriana uttered the word "marebito," the two men's attitudes softened visibly.
"……Hmm. Black hair and black eyes. It’s certainly a color combination I haven’t seen before."
"It might not be a total lie, then……"
To Shuuki, a marebito was a visitor from the outside—a visitor from another world. In that sense, he was indeed a marebito. However, since the term could also simply mean "traveler," he was bewildered as to how he should act.
"Shuuki came from another world!"
That concern was blown away by Adriana's next words.
"What!?"
"As if we could believe such a thing!"
And just as Shuuki had expected, her father and brother didn't believe a word of it.