Room at the inn.

　I'm carving my name on a pebble in the corner of the room as a gravestone for the scavenger slimes. Finally, for the last Jar Jar III.

　The scavenger slime will continue to be used as fuel. But I will continue to make pebbles to serve as grave markers. At least we'll remember.......they had a sweet tooth. If we see an orchard, we'll offer a pebble there.

　When I had finished carving my name in this way, I heard a knock on the door with a bang.

'Ryota, you're awake, right?　I'm sorry for being so pushy earlier. I just wanted to talk to you properly.
I'm worried about you, too.

　They didn't even answer and broke in on their own. There's nothing to talk about with these genociders!　I want to ride my bike anyway, so it's a story [physics], of course. I didn't reply and kept my back turned and continued to collect the pebbles carefully in silence.



'Yes, mister. And the quality of the fuel was surprisingly good once it was fueled. It's proof of the love you put into them. But we couldn't take any more of those, we had to fill up our incubators, we had to leave a few particularly healthy ones behind. We're making room for the next generation.

　I know, I'm being naive. I delude myself that the demons and bandits of this world are like monsters in a game. That I'm a soft and weak old man. And responsibility ......... When you hunt, you choke your prey. So I'm selfish, I guess.

But I'm relieved to see that you have compassion for the slime, Ryota. He was merciless to the orcs, and I feared he might be scary. It's funny that I'm a demon exterminator too...

Sir you're not really afraid to kill or even to die, are you?　So he made a bullet that didn't kill me. I was afraid of Japanese weapons, but that made tomorrow's work easier for me. I think that's why the Goddess entrusted him with the weapons, right?

　I'm actually not afraid of killing or weapons. What I'm really afraid of is my sensibilities like that. That's what made the cork bullet, and that's what frightened me into making it. So, maybe... for the sake of your people you can kill a good man, a complete stranger.

　Modern weapons kill with efficiency. And yet my senses are not afraid.

　A weapon many of us know and loathe. It's no wonder that Midia and Manya are afraid of them. I feel nothing and I think I'm crazy for not feeling anything....

'There's a sympathetic human race in the mix too, but I was worried that Ryota might change once he got used to this world... but the slime thing blew me away. I like Ryota's kindness better as it is.

I'm just a regular guy, I don't know what I am. But he's always treated me like a girl and I've just been a reporter and I'm happy to see him.

　It's an unwanted worry. If you're a cute little human being, Ajin, you're welcome to be a nerd. And they're both like precious family, you can rest assured.

　After all, they hugged me and treated me like a child. I don't know who's older...

　Particularly, Midea has a very peaceful expression on her face when I take the place of her father. The truth is, Simon's death still hurts. But if I'm playing the role of the father, there's no place for Midea's pain to go.

　I tried to make up with the two of them to at least pretend that I was getting better.

'It's okay now. I understand, and I'm not mad at you. I'm sorry to put you in trouble.

　That's all I could say. After that, I was a good old man and I cried. I'm such a wordy and pathetic person. Still, the two of them were kind.

[I'm sorry for giving you a hard time] They would say those words to me. My attachment to the slime was just my reason clinging in fright to my crazy sensibilities.

　And yet, he kept gently hugging me and stroking my back and head. All the way until my tears stopped... and the vanity that was so little was already gone. I know they are younger than me, but regardless of that, I am filled with gratitude for their consideration.

　But I don't know how to return the thanks. I've taken care of my relatives' children and fondled them. But now I'm far from being in a position to treat them as children.

　If Japan had a subject called "How to deal with women," I would like to start over. I want a night school that teaches you how to deal with women.

　After that, I feel like they trust me more than before. A good listening child. Is that the kind of trust you're talking about?

　After my tears had completely stopped, they went back to their room a while later. My embarrassment came back later, and my face was hot. I decided to climb out of the window and onto the roof to get out of the wind to cool my face and dry my tear marks.

　In the meantime, I also hold my sword so that Yukikaze can see the urban landscape. The sun has already set, but it is still a little bright. Even though it's dark, the heaping pits are still lit. It's another nighttime view, but the city at night isn't bad. I sit on the roof and wait for the night.

'Lord. At this time of night, there's still smoke from the hearth coming from houses everywhere.'

　I found myself being hugged from behind by a woman wearing white kosode and a black hakama. Her hair was pale cherry red and in a ponytail. The arms around her neck and the layered cheeks are cool and comfortable.

'You were able to manifest ... that's Yukikaze's costume?'

　The jacket is platinum, the same color as the sword, the orange waistband is the same as the sage-o, and the black of the skirt is probably to match the skirt. The hair on her head is the same translucent cherry blossom color as Haruka's thought crystals, and the black with red-rimmed ribbons is probably a flange.　Well, more than anything else, it's the way they call you, Lord (Nushi-sama). It's easy to understand that it's Yukikaze.



"We are not yet free to manifest ourselves. More importantly, Lord. I heard that my name comes from a ship. He said he named me after the ship in the hope that I would return alive. The story our Lord told Lord Kanyako about the destroyer that kept coming back alive. Could you tell me the story?

　

"Destroyer [Yukikaze] participated in many operations, fought bravely, and won many military awards. However, destroyers are small and fragile warships. And yet, no matter how tough the operation, she never gave up and always came back alive. You rescued a lot of people. That's what I like more than the military service.

　Then I'll tell you a little story. I won't go into the details of the mission, but he participated in more than 16 major operations. Even so, the destroyer [Yukikaze] that didn't sink and came back alive and continued to produce battle results.

　

''My predecessor, [Haruka], also survived four thousand years, and has the good fortune to become Tathagata [Yukikaze] and still be alive today. I dedicate this good fortune to the Lord and will definitely bring him back to life.

　If you're lucky, there's a goddess, seven good fortune gods, and even a brownie effect for Manya. Does that still add up?　I don't think I'm having any less trouble for it...

　Well, I don't know about luck, but the pleasant coldness of the snow and wind took the heat out of me before I knew it. It's completely dark and the night breeze is a little cold. But strangely enough, the snow and wind now has a normal body temperature and is warm. It's a comfortable way to watch the city at night.

How about seeing the city in person?　People are getting civilized again, you know?

'I'm happy about that too, but right now I'm happy to be in direct contact with the Lord. Having a body is a blessing... Maybe the reason for the manifestation is that I was frustrated that the Lord was sad and I couldn't comfort him like those two did...

"If that's the reason for the manifestation, I'm considerate enough of Yukikaze. And yet I fused it with a weapon to kill... wasn't it hard?

'I was happy that the Lord cared for Haruka, who was an artificial object. But the only thing I can think of is the Lord I am happy to be by His side(s).

　How to get the AI to be more like a human mind. That could be effective in giving it a body, five senses and desires. Yukikaze's acquisition of emotion and humanity is unusually fast.

''I hope she'll be able to manifest them freely soon. I'm not going to be able to tell the difference between them. You'll be indistinguishable from other people if you look like that, okay?

'Yes!　But then the Lord will be with you.

　Afterwards, Yukikaze sat beside me and we looked at things and talked about many things. After Yukikaze's manifestation was released, I went back to my room and lay down on the bed.

　Thanks to the three of them, my fragile mind became completely calm and I was able to sleep comfortably.



*Someplace in Japan

I'd like to build a night school. I know the name sounds dubious, but...
"....could this have an effect... on the decline in the number of children? .....