"You're amazing, Philie-san."
Walker-kun often praised me like that—or rather, praised other people in general.
Yet he seemed terrible at acknowledging his own worth.
For instance, he was practically a celebrity in Magias, but for some reason, he was the only one oblivious to it.
Ever since that incident, he had become famous.
Considering how well he had performed, it was only natural, but because he hadn't stood out much before, the news had spread across the campus and the royal capital in the blink of an eye.
It seemed his grandfather and family background were still unknown to the public. Even I hadn't known Lord Van's full name, and the textbooks only ever referred to him as "Great Hero Van" in the first place.
I was sure Walker-kun's parents were incredible people, too. He wasn't very keen on talking about his family, but I supposed I was the same way.
Regardless, Walker-kun was so engrossed in his research that he didn't care much about his reputation. He still didn't show the slightest sign of minding the students who peered curiously through his lab windows.
"Well? Does it look like Walker-kun is in there?"
"It's too dark to see. I hear noises, though."
Walking down the hallway, I spotted two students today.
Walker-kun probably wouldn't get angry, but with them glued to the window so brazenly, it was honestly a bit awkward to go in when I needed him...
I wanted to coordinate a bit regarding the on-site investigation in Temcha starting tomorrow, but what should I do?
"What are you two doing there?"
"Huh?! Ah, Meltzelia-san?!"
"He is busy at the moment. If you have business with our representative, I will take it."
"N-No, it's nothing. Hey, let's go."
"Y-Yeah."
The two unfamiliar students—probably from the Faculty of Magic—hurriedly scurried off.
Mercedes-san really was amazing as always.
Carrying herself with such commanding presence seemed so full of power and confidence; I was a little envious.
"Brendan, I'm coming in."
"Whoa?! The hell... Knock first!"
"What does it matter? More importantly, how is the magic sword coming along?"
"You just came by last week."
"Oh, did I? Well, no matter. Would you brew some tea for the time being? If I recall, last time—"
The single sliding door at the entrance clicked shut, instantly muffling their conversation.
She beat me to it.
Despite appearances, all sorts of people came and went from Walker-kun's room. It seemed Roc-kun and Amae-chan had hung out there often from the beginning, but lately, I had seen Mercedes-san around like this much more frequently.
If Mercedes-san was there, maybe I should put my documents together and head in early. I wouldn't be able to see her for a few days, so I wanted to chat with her, too.
Ah, but I really couldn't talk about business in front of her. Come to think of it, I hadn't been to Walker-kun's room since the time with the magic sword.
...The magic sword, that was right.
I needed to maintain the magic sword I had received from him soon.
Polishing it with a whetstone was out of the question, but cleaning the surface with a simple abrasive compound was something even I could do.
Speaking of which, I wondered if Walker-kun planned to stay up late again tonight.
He did say he wanted to forge plenty of magic swords before the break.
There didn't seem to be any adverse effects on his health so far, but how on earth could we get that guy to sleep properly?
Would he go to sleep if I gave him sleeping pills?
"Oh, Philie-chan."
"Good day, Lady Filie."
Turning around, I found Amae-chan and Luluck-chan standing side by side. It wasn't sundown yet, but they seemed already packed up to head home.
"Are you two heading back already today?"
"Yes, I am returning to the forest starting tomorrow, so I am wrapping up early!"
"Lulu-yan, you always leave around evening anyway."
Luluck-chan let out an "ohoho" laugh.
Her personality was completely different from Mercedes-san's, but perhaps because of the way she spoke, I sometimes found myself thinking they were similar.
"How will you be spending the break, Lady Filie?!"
"I'm visiting home, too."
Since I had already left the orphanage upon enrolling in Magias, it wasn't technically my family home, though.
Ah, that was right.
Once I got back, I had to visit the grave of Teacher—my foster mother.
While I was lost in thought, Amae-chan chimed in.
"The opera guild I support is doing a regional performance in Temcha, so I'm tagging along with Philie-chan."
"Gyaaaahhh! I'm so jealoussss! I-I wanted to go on a trip with the two of you toooooo!!"
...On second thought, maybe they weren't so similar after all.
Still, having her feel that way made me genuinely happy.
"Yes, yes. We promised to meet up on the last day, so let's hang out a bunch then, Lulu-yan."
"Yay!"
Skillfully placating Luluck-chan, Amae-chan walked toward the exit.
"Well, see you tomorrow."
Amae-chan murmured softly as we passed each other, and we parted ways.
A trip.
That was how Luluck-chan put it, but I supposed that really was how it looked to an outsider.
After going over a few details with Walker-kun, I would head back, double-check tomorrow's itinerary, and go straight to bed. I had to think about what souvenirs to get for everyone at the orphanage, too.
My real parents.
I knew the chances of finding them were very slim, but I hoped I could find them.
◇
And so, the day of departure arrived.
Even though it was early in the morning, Royal Capital Central Station was packed to the brim.
"Don't get separated, you two."
Walker-kun and I managed to follow behind Amae-chan as she threaded her way through the crowd.
Even for the first day of the holidays, the sheer mass of people was staggering.
I hadn't ridden a magic train once since leaving Temcha, so I hadn't known, but I had never seen this many people even at the largest station back in my hometown.
Our destination was the largest city in the Temcha Region: the former ducal capital, Dravena.
I had thought of the journey simply as going back home, but I had let my guard down.
There were... so many people.
If Walker-kun didn't walk ahead of me, I probably wouldn't even be able to push through.
"The Temcha Main Line is Track Four, so... this way."
Amae-chan guided us without even checking the signs. It was supposed to be my job, so I felt bad about it.
She lived on her own now, but having been a royal capital resident for so long, Amae-chan was naturally used to navigating the city. It was Amae-chan who had shown Luluck-chan and me places to hang out, cafes, and clothing shops.
"Philie-chan, which carriage was ours again?"
"Carriage Six."
We finally made it to the platform where our train would stop and caught our breath. We had arrived at the station with plenty of time to spare, so we weren't rushed.
All that was left was to wait.
"I'm gonna go buy some drinks on the concourse before the train gets here."
"Oh, nice. I want something sweet. What about you, Philie-chan?"
"I'll take the same, then."
With a simple "Got it," Walker-kun headed back into the crowd. Having him dive into that sea of people carrying travel bags was honestly a huge relief.
"I was surprised, though. To think Bren-kun worked for the guild Philie-chan hired."
"Yeah. I was surprised, too."
I hadn't told Amae-chan that I'd commissioned Lord Dreadroll—Coffey-san's—guild. Even if I told her, Bren-kun probably wouldn't get mad, but I kept quiet just to be safe.
"I hope you find your parents."
"...Yeah."
"I can't stick with you the whole time once we get there, but I'll help out as much as I can."
"Oh no, I couldn't trouble you."
"Don't be so distant. Besides, you know, having just Bren-kun makes me uneasy."
"I don't think you need to worry..."
Walker-kun handled his assignments with great precision, so I didn't think he would be dead weight during the investigation.
Besides, to be frank, public order in Temcha worsened during the holidays, so just having him walk alongside me as an escort was reassuring. Even if ordinary people tried anything against me, a mage, they couldn't do a thing, but having someone keep watch meant I didn't have to stay constantly on edge.
"No, I mean, Bren-kun is, well, that, you know."
"What do you mean by that?"
"He's the incarnation of lust."
"...T-That's going too far, Amae-chan."
Ever since that rainy day, Walker-kun hadn't shown any strange behavior.
If anything, the random male students who occasionally came up to talk to me looked at me with far weirder eyes.
Still, it was true that we would be staying overnight for several days.
Then again, we were staying at my orphanage, and our rooms were separate...
"Because he's the incarnation of lust."
"Why did you say it twice...?"
Did Amae-chan have something specific in mind?
Maybe they were far closer than I knew.
I had only started talking with Walker-kun frequently shortly before the rookie tournament, so I still didn't really know what he and Amae-chan did on a regular basis.
While we chatted, Walker-kun returned carrying three drinks. Since it was three cups, I belatedly realized I should have gone with him to help carry them.
"Thank you."
"Thanks, Walker-kun."
Handing over my share of the money, I took the drink I had requested.
I happened to be thirsty, so it was a welcome treat.
The drink had a tart honey flavor and tasted delicious. It was a flavor they didn't have in Temcha.
Before long, an immense iron box finished in glossy black pulled up. It was only my second time seeing it up close, but it was amazing nonetheless. I was continually stunned by the high standard of Magias's engineering.
Reaching our reserved seats, we finally settled in.
I was glad we hadn't gambled on unreserved seating.
We wouldn't arrive until night, and having to stand the entire way would have been exhausting.
"Philie-san. It's gonna take a while to get there, so should we review the places we're visiting?"
"Sure."
What Walker-kun pulled out of his bag were investigation materials. They were different from the ones I had given him. Had he prepared them himself?
From how our briefing went yesterday, it seemed he had done quite a lot of background research after taking the job, which put my mind at ease.
The investigation route Walker-kun suggested was also very practical; he truly was good at absorbing and structuring information. Since we communicated regularly about research anyway, it was easy to get our points across. Leaving it to him had definitely been the right choice.
"For now, we'll inquire at the government office and hospital in the most populated administrative district, and then the medical university Philie-san graduated from..."
"Bren-kun, you're raring to go, aren't you?"
"Well, it's a job, after all."
When Walker-kun was deep in thought, he went quiet, completely shedding his usual kind, gentle demeanor. His expression shifted into the focused look he wore when crossing his arms in the workshop, altering his presence entirely.
The contrast in his expressions was so stark that there were times when I genuinely couldn't tell what he was thinking.
I wondered what was on his mind right now.
Without even needing to ask, I knew he was taking the job seriously.
Was I the only one getting carried away feeling like I was on vacation?
As the client, I had to do my best so I wouldn't embarrass myself in front of him.
◇
Man, I really gotta pee.
This is bad.
Does this train even have a bathroom?
I chugged way too much of that juice earlier.
My bladder is gonna burst.
If I get up to pee right now, Amae-san is probably gonna hit me with a "Why didn't you go before getting on?", and I really don't wanna deal with that.
Then again, the bathroom might have a line.
If that's the case, it's gonna be a disaster if I don't go early.
What do I do?
Aaargh, I really gotta pee.
"First, let's check the central district's master registry where official birth records are kept."
Man, I really gotta pee.
"If we trace the records, we're bound to find the medical institution that issued Philie-san's birth certificate."
Man, I really gotta pee.
"The problem is if it was a home birth without a midwife present, but for now, I think we should eliminate the confirmable information one by one."
"Bren-kun, you've got this well organized."
"Well, yeah, it's for Philie-san's sake."
Right in the middle of my desperate struggle, a little boy walking down the aisle bumped lightly against the knee of me—the guy sitting in his seat, silently dying of an urgent need to pee. From the impact, the contents of the drink cup in his hand splashed straight across the pants of me—the guy who desperately needed to pee.
"Ah. S-Sorry, mister!"
"No, it's fine. My bad too."
Patting the boy on the head, I stood up. Both the floor and the seat were soaking wet.
Wait, is this my pee?
"Sorry, you two, I'm gonna go hit the washroom real quick."
"Ah, yeah. We'll clean this up, so take your time."
And so, I finally went to pee.