Will you be my friend?



　My reaction to being told this out of the blue is this.



"Yes?"



"Thank you. I heard that you are the son of a great nobleman, but it's very generous of you to accept me, a commoner, as a friend."



　No, I didn't mean it as an affirmation. .......



"I mean, why? Please tell me why."



"Of course I was going to tell you. I know it's just one of my reasons and I might offend you again, but I'll try to be sincere."



"Please be brief, if you can."



I'll do my best. I'll take good care of it.



　The woman puts her hands on her large breasts and speaks with a slightly nervous look on her face.



"I was abandoned right after I was born. I was also abandoned at the place where I was found, and after repeating it four times, I was taken in by a monastery south of the royal capital.



　That's heavy right off the bat. I can't believe it's someone else.



I mean, you've been dumped too many times, haven't you?



"I don't know why either. But I was feared everywhere I was picked up as a child of the devil. Maybe it was because I looked like this, or because I was newborn (・・・・・・・・) and speaking (・・・・・・・・), but they were afraid of me anyway."



　Obviously, the baby started talking, didn't it?　I wondered.

　Isn't that unusual in this world?　No, but Frey was surprised that I talked when we met. You don't know anything about demons?　I don't know.



"Even in the monastery, they avoided me. The only one who was nice to me was a priest who was the abbot of the monastery at the time. But he died when I was five years old, and the new priest who was assigned to me hated me."



　It's a story of misfortune that is hard to listen to, but the man himself seems unconcerned about it. There is not an ounce of pathos in the story.



"Even in a closed place, I didn't interact with the people around me, so I lacked the common sense of human society.



　You were aware of that.



Is that why you decided to make friends with me, to learn some common sense?



"Yes."



　When he nods with a smile, I have no choice but to reply.



"You are fatally mistaken in your choice of people. I don't mean to brag, but I don't have any friends. I've been holed up in the middle of nowhere for a long time, and I probably don't have a lick of common sense either.



"Then that's just fine. Then that's just fine. Let's learn some common sense together.



　His carefree smile was all the more refreshing and not unpleasant.



"No, no, no, you can't grow up by hanging out with people who lack common sense.



"Is that how it's supposed to be?"



　But wait a minute, I think to myself.

　What is a friend in my mind?



>








　It's the kind of relationship where you're made to do the heavy lifting and forced to do the hard stuff.

　He has given me a lot of trouble. So, I think it's okay if I use him as a <, don't you?



　Professor Tiah has been checking him out.

　I can get away from his persistent solicitation by pushing him to the little professor with the glasses.

　Let's find out a little bit more.



"Have you decided which training room or laboratory you're going to join?



"Yes. I haven't said hello yet, but there's a lab there that specializes in ancient magic.



"Good!　You get in that lab. It's an intimidating request from a friend."



"Yeah, that was the plan all along. ....... But okay. You're still my friend when you listen to me, aren't you?



　The smile on his face is as cute as Char's.

　But wait.

　Wouldn't this have been a convenient development for me even if we hadn't become friends?



"You know, for all your talk about friends, aren't you forgetting the most important thing?"



　Her white ponytail swung as she tilted her head.



"I'm introducing myself. You've told me your background, but I don't know your name. By the way, I'm Hurt Semphis, as you know.



　Then, he lowers his eyebrows as if he is troubled.



"Name: ....... I see. Yes, that's right. In human society, we begin communication by saying each other's names. Yes, I understand that."



　He continues, his words slurring as he fidgets and looks uncomfortable.



"My name is what I choose to call myself. It is very special and important. I'm used to people knowing my name and calling me by it on my application forms and other documents, but I'm still ...... a little reluctant to say it myself."



　He's talking like a demon tribe again.



"But, yes, you've become my friend. So let's say your name face to face."



　He put his hand on his big chest, took a few deep breaths, and looked at me with his nervous but sincere red eyes.



"My name is--"










★★★★★







　There was an open-air bath in a section of the Charlotte-named <>. Hot spring water was dug up from deep underground, and water was drawn from the river flowing into the lake to keep the water at an appropriate temperature.



"That's a good sign!　I have a feeling that something interesting is happening to my brother!"



　Charlotte, who had been soaking in the hot water, suddenly cried out and ran out.

　Frey and Riza, who had just entered the bathhouse, saw her off.



"I wonder what that super-sensitivity towards Mr. Harte is?



"I think it is the effect of the magic that Master Harte cast on me for protection. It's not possible under normal circumstances, but it could be a miracle due to the strength of Charlotte-sama's feelings and her latent magical power."



　Frey soaks in the hot water to remove sweat and dirt, feeling a little envious.



"Phew. ...... it's nice to have a hot spring bath after work."



"I still have work to do. Why take a bath when you know you're going to sweat again?"



　Riza said disgustedly, and got alongside Frey.



"It's okay. I'll go back in after I sweat. What's wrong with refreshing your mind and body over and over again?"



　That's the way it is," Riza said, casting a sideways glance at him. She saw that fat has a lower specific gravity than water. A little frustrating.



"Speaking of which, Riza, is it safe for you, a blizzard dragon, to go to the hot springs?"



You invited me, and now it's too late. I'm good in the cold, not the heat.



"Then why did you go to all the trouble of living in a very cold place so far away from here?"



"At the time I liked solitude. I just wanted to live quietly in a place where neither people nor demons set foot.



　But after the defeat of the Demon King, people started hunting demons in the area, and I escaped being chased and wandered into this land, and when I almost ran out of strength, Frey and Harte saved me.

　Now, under Harte's care, I enjoy taking care of Charlotte and living with my friends.

　I realized that I had withdrawn from the world because I was afraid to be involved with others.



"Were you at loggerheads with the Demon Lord?"



"Not at all. We just kept our distance because of our different ways of thinking. Now I can sympathize with the Demon King who said he wanted to create ...... a paradise for the Demon People."



　This lakeside that Harte is building now is just like that. No, Charlotte said that Harte is trying to create a paradise where people and demons can live together.



　Of course, Harte has no intention of doing so.

　His goal is to create a place where he can enjoy his reclusive life, and he has no interest in what happens in the surrounding area. He was just accompanying his sister's play.

　Frey and the others are unaware of this.



"So you're the reincarnation of the Demon King, aren't you?"



"Mm. The memory may be gone, but the underlying nature remains the same. My personality has changed a lot. ......



"Was Frey close to the Demon King?"



"We were allies. But even though we shared the same ideals, we gradually came to clash in our methodologies. For a time we were apart, but then the flash princesses invaded and I tried to help them again. ......"



　In the end, the Demon Lord let them all go and took care of everything by himself.



"To be honest, I have the feeling that Master Harte and the Demon Lord are two different things. I think the reason he lost his memory may be to cut off the sweet part of him that couldn't be so ruthless. It's just--"



　Frey smiled fondly.



"The Demon Lord used to call us by the abbreviated name of our race. He wouldn't listen when I told him to stop.



"Are you, by any chance, <>?"



"Yes. That's why I was so happy when Master Harte gave me that name. I was about to say the name I had when I was the Demon King.



"If Harth-sama remembers the memories of his previous life, which one should I call him?"



That is for Master Harte to decide. Well, I believe my former name has been discarded along with my memories.



"Can't I ask you the name of the Demon King?"



You are already recognized by Master Harte. It would not be a problem for me to tell him. Just don't say it lightly, okay?



　Riza nodded nervously.



"The demon king's name is--"



　Frey spoke nostalgically and lovingly.



　



　--Irisphilia," he said.



　



☆☆☆☆☆







"Hmm,<> huh ....... That's a long time. <> is it?"



　Irisphilia, aka the white-haired pony, stared blankly, and then, for some reason, blew up.



"I'm sorry. I just remembered that I used to abbreviate people's names too.



　You didn't have any friends, did you?　Well, I won't pursue it.



"I was warned to stop, but I see, I don't realize it until it happens to me. I don't feel very good about it."



　But," she said without breaking into a smile.



"That's all right. You can call me what you want."



　At any rate, at the same time that she made her first friend, I also made my first friend.



　I didn't tell him that we would be friends even if I dropped out of school.