"Hmm..."
Uuvait, Adriana's father, fell into deep thought before finally speaking.
"Adriana, Shuuki is not a marebito."
At those words, Adriana’s voice grew sharp. "Father! Why not?!"
Uuvait remained calm as he soothed his daughter. "Now, listen to me until the end. When we speak of the marebito, we are referring to the foreigners who come from the north."
Adriana’s anger subsided instantly, replaced by a look of realization. "From the... north?"
"Precisely. Far to the north lies a great sea. Beyond that sea is another continent, and those said to cross over from there are called marebito. They are masters of magic and possess incredible physical abilities."
"..."
"That is why I say Shuuki is not a marebito. He is... an Etranger, so to speak."
"An Etranger..." Adriana whispered the word, repeating it as if to commit the sound to memory.
"Furthermore, did you know that we ourselves are descendants of the marebito?" Uuvait added, dropping another shocking revelation.
"What?! What do you mean, Father? I’ve never heard a word of this!"
"I should expect not. It is our custom to wait until a child turns sixteen before telling them the truth."
"Sixteen... years old?" Adriana blinked, looking dazed. Then, her eyes widened as the realization hit her. "Oh! Ohhh!"
"...You finally remembered? Today, March 20th, is your birthday. As of today, you are an adult."
"I completely forgot..."
"Good grief. We were all shocked because we thought you had come home to celebrate, and then you showed up with a man in tow."
Adriana looked down, her face flushing a deep crimson. Her brother, Donavaagu, watched her with a wry, knowing smile.
Uuvait turned back to Shuuki, his expression softening into something far more approachable than before.
"Shuuki, it seems I overreacted. Please accept my apologies for the hostility."
"N-No, it’s quite alright."
"There is one other thing I must apologize for." Uuvait paused, then bowed his head slightly toward Shuuki. "I possess a magic eye. You may think of it as a specialized magical talent."
"I... see," Shuuki replied vaguely. With his limited knowledge of magic, it was the only response he could manage.
"There are several varieties of magic eyes, but I will save the lecture for another time. My specific eye is known as the Insight of Truth."
"..."
"I imagine you can guess its function from the name. Yes—I used it to verify your words earlier."
Shuuki finally understood. That must have been the reason for that momentary flicker of darkness in his consciousness.
"I apologize once more. But I am a father. The thought of my daughter being deceived was more than I could bear, and I felt compelled to use it."
"Father!" Adriana interjected before Shuuki could say a word. "I told you! I'm not being deceived! Shuuki is really teaching me things from another world!"
"Someone who has been deceived wouldn't exactly realize it, would they?"
"Ugh... Well, that’s true, but..." Adriana tried to argue further, but her father’s logic easily silenced her.
"At any rate, my apologies to you both. Now, let us eat before the food gets cold."
"Father, before that, we have to celebrate Ado's sixteenth birthday," Donavaagu reminded him.
Uuvait scratched his head as if the thought had just resurfaced. "Ah, right....Lariana!"
Lariana was already on her feet, having anticipated the request. "Yes, yes, dear. I'm already on it."
She produced silver cups for everyone and placed them at their settings before going around the table to pour a liquid from a glass bottle.
"Here you go, Addy."
"Thanks, Mother."
"And for you, Shuuki."
"Thank you very much."
"And for you... Dona, hold out your glass."
After filling her own cup last, Lariana returned to her seat.
"Then, a toast to my daughter Adriana’s sixteenth year. Cheers!"
At Uuvait's signal, everyone raised their cups and chorused, "Cheers!"
Shuuki joined in, thinking to himself that this custom wasn't much different from Earth as he took a sip.
"..."
The liquid was red wine.
In Japan during the 38th year of the Showa era, red wine had not yet become a common household drink, and Shuuki was no exception to this lack of exposure. Since red wine is fermented with the grape skins intact, it possessed a distinct, heavy astringency.
Unaccustomed to the taste, Shuuki couldn't help but grimace.
"Hmm? Is this your first time drinking wine, Shuuki?"
"Yes. I’ve had Japanese sake a few times, but never this."
"Ho. Is that the liquor of your homeland?"
"It is."
The conversation flowed as the meal progressed. They were served a dish of rice—similar to indica rice—topped with a thick, savory, Chinese-style soup. Shuuki found it surprisingly delicious. He was genuinely impressed that such a culinary combination existed; the light, non-sticky rice was the perfect vessel for the rich soup.
With the misunderstanding cleared, the dinner continued in a warm, harmonious atmosphere.
"Come now, Shuuki, you must try this as well."
"Y-Yes, thank you."
Though Shuuki had been overwhelmed at first, the hospitality of Adriana and her mother, Lariana, allowed him to finally shed his nervous tension and relax.
"Now then, Shuuki."
After the meal, they gathered again for a more formal discussion.
"What do you intend to do from here on?"
"Father!" Adriana cried out, her voice laced with reproach, but Uuvait held up a hand to quiet her.
"Wait, Adriana. I didn't mean it in that way."
He turned back to Shuuki, rephrasing his question.
"I have heard from my daughter that you possess unique knowledge from another world. Do you have any intention of putting that knowledge to use here, in this world?"
Shuuki answered without a moment's hesitation. "I do. I would be happy if my knowledge could help improve the lives of the people here."
"I see."
"However... I cannot simply discard my feelings for my own home. That is also the truth."
Adriana’s expression flickered with a trace of loneliness at his words. "Shuuki..."
After a brief silence, Uuvait spoke again.
"Very well. Then, House Tierra shall offer you our full support. Furthermore, I promise that we will research magic capable of connecting spaces. In exchange, I want your promise that you will use your knowledge for the benefit of this world."
"Yes, gladly," Shuuki replied instantly.
And so, Tsutsui Shuuki took his first true step forward as Shuuki Tsetse.